Harry Potter After the War
by KataangNaruSaku
Summary: As the title describes it, I'm trying to cover what happens between the end of Deathly Hallows and the Epilogue. The pairings will definitely be canon, but the storyline maybe not so much. I will try and include as much action as possible without bringing up a major villain like Voldemort.
1. Chapter 1

"_I've had enough trouble for a lifetime." _As Harry said those words, he realised that for the first time in his life, he could look forward to being normal. He was no longer The Chosen One, or The Boy Who Lived. He was just Harry Potter and he had just defeated the darkest wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. As he, Ron and Hermione walked past the stone gargoyle, Harry was beginning to feel a little light headed and unbeknownst to him, so were Ron and Hermione. They had not slept for almost 48 hours, and were long overdue on some rest.

"I think I'm ready for a really long kip in the dormitory. What do you reckon, Harry?" asked Ron with his arms around Hermione, who was struggling to even walk.

"Definitely. We can answer the questions from your family tomorrow. I don't think I am in any state to give a long- winded explanation right now." said Hermione as she leaned against Ron for support, clearly exhausted.

Although Harry would have like nothing better than to go to the boys dormitories in Gryffindor Tower and sleep for the next week, he knew he had to do one thing that could not wait.

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up", Harry said, his mind fixated on one person he had to see. Ginny. If anybody, he owed her a full explanation as to why he had so unceremoniously dumped her and run off.

Realising what Harry meant, they turned on their heel to follow him.

"We're coming too mate. And don't mess around with Ginny's feelings again. If you want her, tell her truth and apologise, or I'll pound you so that you can join up with your best mate Voldemort", said Ron with a small smirk on his face.

Harry had no choice but to afford a small smile at his comment. "Don't worry. I have no intention of screwing around with her. This time, I'm planning on staying with her forever." said Harry, giving Ron a light clout on the shoulder.

Hermione gave him a smile before saying "Let me and Ron go ahead and tell the others. Put on your invisibility cloak if you don't want to cause a commotion in the Great Hall". He gave Hermione a nod and let the new couple go on ahead.

Slipping on his invisibility cloak, Harry made his way down to the Great Hall, taking in the destruction around him. Rubble and debris from the battle lay strewn across the floor, serving as a grim reminder of what had been lost. So many people's lives lay shattered because of what Voldemort had done and so many precious lives had been lost. And it was all his fault. If only Harry could have found the horcruxes sooner, so many lives could have been saved. Those most dear and near to him had died, all because of him. Remus, Tonks, Fred, Colin and so many others had lost their lives. His very own godson was now an orphan. Feelings of guilt overtook him as he entered the Great Hall. Instead of rejoicing, most of the people there were in mourning. But Harry only had eyes for one person.

Ginny was angry, sad and frustrated. She had been asking around for the whereabouts of Harry, but nobody knew where he was. She felt so angry at him, letting her think that he was dead. She knew he probably had his reasons, but Ginny could not help but feel angry. She sat there at the senior end of the Gryffindor table with her family, trying to comfort George who was feeling lost in the world without Fred. Just as she looked up, she saw Ron and Hermione enter the hall. But Harry was not with them. Seeing them, she jumped up and rushed towards them.

"Where's Harry? Why is he not with you? Is he okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern, all her previous anger at Harry suddenly forgotten.

Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Ron said "Don't get your wand in a knot, he's right behind us. He didn't want to cause an uproar in the Hall, so he's under the cloak."

As Ron had been saying this, Harry had walked around Ron and Hermione to go behind Ginny to whisper in her ear.

"Ginny I really need to talk to you, alone. Ron and Hermione will explain everything to your parents. Just please come with me.". Harry's tone was pleading now, at the brink of begging.

Hearing the plea in his voice, Ginny felt around for his hand, and allowed Harry to lead her out of the Great Hall towards the grounds.

Harry, for one did not know where to begin trying to apologise to Ginny. So he thought he would start with "Ginny, I'm sorry for ditching you. Please take me back. I love you".

"What did you say Harry? You're sorry! THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY AFTER YOU DUMPED ME! AND NOW YOU WANT ME TO TAKE YOU BACK? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS WHEN HAGRID CAME BACK CARRYING YOUR DEAD BODY? MR HARRY POTTER, I WANT A FULL EXPLANATION BEFORE I WILL EVEN THINK ABOUT BEING YOU GIRLFRINED AGAIN" Ginny screamed at him, tears streaming out of her eyes as she tried to pour out all the emotions she had been feeling for the past year into that one outburst.

Harry, on the other hand was quite taken aback. He had expected her to be angry, but now she was crying and hitting him and screaming at the same time. Grabbing hold of her fists, he hugged her, trying to show all the love he felt for her in that one hug. They stayed like that for a while, Ginny crying into his shoulder while he calmingly stroked her hair and back, inhaling her flowery scent.

After she had calmed down, Harry sat her down on the grass and began his explanation. He started from when he had found out about the prophecy after Sirius' death and moved on to how Voldemort had created 7 horcruxes which he, Ron and Hermione had left to destroy. He kept the details to the minimum, knowing he would have to explain the details to the rest later on anyways. When he got to the part about him being a horcrux, and Snape's memories, Ginny let out a gasp and shuddered, clearly terrified. As he described his walk into the Forbidden Forest, Ginny laid her head on Harry's shoulder and wrapped a comforting arm around him, knowing how hard this must be for him.

Once his explanation was over, Harry and Ginny just stared at each other for a while, before Harry gave into temptation and planted his lips on hers. Ginny responded with equal vigour, both of them trying to make up for what they had missed in the past year. It seemed hours before they broke apart for air, both of them as exhausted as they were. Harry felt like he was going to collapse any minute, so he asked Ginny "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Of course Harry. And to your previous declaration of love, I have only one thing to say to you. I love you too." Ginny said, enveloping Harry in a bone crushing hug that was much reminiscent of Mrs Weasley. Hearing those three words was the last thing Harry remembered, as his exhaustion got the better of him and he passed out on Ginny's shoulders.

When Ginny realised that Harry was not moving, he laid him down on the soft grass, contemplating how she was going to get him back up to the boys' dormitories. As she sat thinking about her options, she did not notice that her whole family had come up behind her.

"Ginny, I think we need to move Harry to the dorms.", said Mrs. Weasley as she helped her daughter get up.

"Yeah but how? If we carry him everyone will think the moron went and got himself killed again" said George trying to diffuse some of the tension.

'That's my boyfriend you're calling a moron, so watch it before I hex you to oblivion", countered Ginny with a smirk on her face.

"So you two made up huh? Hope he wasn't too much of a prat" said Ron, continuing the friendly banter.

"No he wasn't. He was the perfect gentleman, and even explained everything to my satisfaction" said Ginny with a faraway smile on her face.

"Good. Or else the six… I mean five of us would have had to show him some Weasley style revenge for messing with our sister" said Charlie. Everyone's smiles dissolved at the implication, as they remembered that Fred was no longer with them. Tears sprung to Ginny's eyes as she turned to face George, and ran up to him to give him a huge hug.

"Don't worry sis, I'll be fine. Fred wouldn't want us mourning him. He would want us to be celebration Moldy-wart's defeat. I'll be fine. Don't worry" said George with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Well, let's get back to the problem at hand. How are we going to get Harry up? In fact, I think he should spend the night in the hospital wing, judging by the number of scars on his body" said Mr Weasley, directing everyone's attention back to Harry.

"I know, I know! Kreacher could apparate him to the hospital wing, but do you think he will come if we call him?" said Hermione while jumping up and down in a way that was clearly similar to when she wanted to answer a question in class.

But before anyone could call him Kreacher was already at Harry's side, and clutching his hand.

"Where would Ms Granger like Kreacher to bring Master Harry?" asked Kreacher in his wheezy voice.

"To the hospital wing Kreacher. We'll meet you there and talk to Madam Pomfrey" answered Hermione kindly.

Kreacher bowed low and was gone along with Harry in an instant. With that the Weasley plus Hermione made their way to the hospital wing, which they found was packed with people needing injuries. Madam Pomfrey had enlisted the help of a few healers from St Mungo's to deal with the massive number of people needing treatment. The Weasley's made their way to Harry but stopping briefly to acknowledge their schoolmates who had been injured, especially those in Dumbledore's Army. When they reached Harry's bed, they saw that along with Madam Pomfrey, there were many other students crowding around his bed, making it nearly impossible for Madam Pomfrey to treat him.

"Oi you lot mind your own business. Harry is just exhausted and needs some rest. Clear off before I hex all of you" boomed Ginny, clearly frustrated at the student's lack of sense.

"Thank you Miss Weasley. Those students were making it quite difficult for me to treat Harry. But anyways, I have cleaned and healed most of his wounds to the best of my ability, though it seems like he will have a lot of scars. I also gave him a sleeping draught for dreamless sleep, so don't expect him to awake any time before tomorrow afternoon. And if I could also have a look at all of your scars before you head off to bed, that would be best. Ah, that reminds me, we don't have enough beds for Harry to be able to spend the night here, as the beds have been reserved for those with major injuries. So I', sorry, but this house elf will have to apparate him back to the dorms" said Madam Pomfrey as she started to take a look at Ron's injuries.

They were done in about twenty minutes, and everyone had taken a flask of sleeping draught to bring up to their beds and take. Kreacher apparated Harry to the seventh year's boys dormitory and the rest of the Weasley's followed close behind. At the common room, they separated as Ron, Hermione and Ginny went up to be with Harry. When they reached the dormitory, they were surprised to find three empty beds waiting for them. Surmising that Professor McGonagall had decided to let the four of them sleep together, Ginny immediately went to the bed beside Harry's, while Ron and Hermione took the other two beds.

"So, did Harry tell you everything?" asked Hermione, wanting to know if she could talk openly with her.

"Yeah seems so. I can't believe how far Voldemort went to achieve immortality though. I knew he was bad but never would I have imagined he would split his soul" said Ginny, thinking about the things Harry had told her.

"He was absolutely mental. But now, I reckon we have to help Harry. He had that look on his face when we were walking to get you" said Ron, propping up his pillow so he could talk to the two girls properly.

"What look?" asked Ginny worriedly.

"The look he had after Sirius and Dumbledore died. The guilt must be killing him, just like when he tried taking the blame for Sirius' and Dumbledore's death. He avenged their deaths by killing Voldemort, but this this time, we have to make sure he knows it's not his fault so many people died." Said Hermione, knowing full well Harry would take the blame himself.

"Yeah, he's noble git" said Ron, eliciting a small laugh from the trio.

"But he's our noble git" said Ginny, placing her hand atop Harry's and stroking the back with her thumb lovingly. "So, did anyone tell you what the plans are for the rebuilding of the school and such?"

"McGonagall came over to tell us that there was going to be a memorial and awards service tomorrow in the Great Hall, and the rebuilding was starting after that. They are planning to reopen on 1st September as usual so she said that they were going to need all the help they could get." Replied Hermione in her calculative tone.

"Wait, there's going to be an awards ceremony? Harry isn't going to like that…" Ron trailed off.

"Well, we will worry about that tomorrow. Now let's go to sleep or we won't be awake before tomorrow evening" yawned Ginny as she took her flask of potion from the table, gulped it down in one go, and promptly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry awoke the next morning, he found himself in familiar surroundings. He was back home, back in his four poster bed in the Gryffindor boys' dormitories. The place felt welcoming as usual, but instead of waking up at dawn and seeing the first rays of sunshine bursting from the clouds, the dorm was bright. Realising that it was already afternoon, Harry threw the covers off him and sat up in bed. Drawing the curtains open, he looked around to see that the other three beds had also been slept in. As he sat up he also realised that he was feeling no pain. Yes, he was aching all over, but as he looked over his body, he saw that most of his wounds had been healed, and all that was left was a lot of ugly scars, serving as a reminder of the battle he had been involved in. The worst on was on his chest, where he had been hit with the killing curse. All that remained now was another lightning shaped scar, showing that he had once again somehow miraculously escaped death. _At least this one I can hide_ thought Harry as he tried to recollect how he came to be in his present situation. The last thing he remembered was hugging Ginny after she had told him that she loved him. How wonderful he had felt upon hearing those words from her mouth. _I must have passed out_ he thought as he stood up to go and have a long bath. Walking into the shower, he turned on the hot water and let it wash away all the grime and blood that had collected on his badly scarred body over the past few months. Feeling the ache in his body slowly ebb away, he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

When Ginny returned from breakfast to find that Harry was not in his bed, she immediately began to imagine all sorts of horrible things and images of Harry's dead body began to rush through her mind. However, she visibly relaxed when she heard the shower running and realised that he must have finally awoken and had gone to bathe. Ginny, Ron and Hermione had awoken a few hours earlier and after long showers had gone down to the Great Hall for lunch, having missed breakfast. The three of them were bombarded with questions about Harry, not only from the students, but from the Weasley family as well. However upon hearing from Ron and Hermione that not even they knew the full story, the whole family had decided to wait for Harry to tell them. But everyone was getting impatient and a little worried, so Ginny had gone up to the dormitories to check on Harry. Realising that there was no cause for concern, she picked up the fresh robes Kreacher had left on Harry's table and walked towards the showers.

Unbeknownst to Harry, when he had tried to relax, he had once again fallen asleep under the warm caress of the running hot water when the sound of approaching footsteps had awoken him due to the advanced sixth sense he had developed over the years of fighting Death Eaters. Harry, realising someone was approaching, immediately reached for his wand before realising that the possibility of him being attacked in the shower were virtually non- existent. So instead, he called out, "Who's there?"

"It's me" replied Ginny. "I'm leaving your robes by the door. I'll be in the dorm where you're done, ok".

"Thanks Ginny" replied Harry, feeling relieved and happy to hear her voice. Flicking his wand to turn off the shower, he dried himself before quickly donning the robes Ginny had left out for him, before walking out of the shower.

"You look good" said Ginny, admiring the newly washed body of her boyfriend.

"Thanks. I feel good." Replied Harry with a slight blush on his face.

"So before we head down for lunch, there's something I need to give you. Your good morning kiss" smirked Ginny as she stepped towards Harry. Her eyes locked on Harry's and she started to move her lips against his. The warmth of his mouth sent a current running through her body. Harry threw his arms around Ginny as he took in her flowery scent.

"Oi, you two stop snogging and come down for lunch. The memorials going to begin in an hour and Harry has to be there. And please never snog around me" shouted Ron as Harry and Ginny broke apart. Beside him was Hermione who looked flustered and awkward.

"You know Ron, I may have made a mistake making you my boyfriend. You still have the emotional range of a teaspoon" said Hermione, with an evil grin on her face. Hearing this, Ron stopped shouting and his face turned crimson.

"Sorry" he said before turning to give Hermione a deep kiss on the lips.

"So you're allowed to snog Hermione in front of me, but I'm not allowed to snog Harry in your presence? At least I waited until after the battle to start snogging my boyfriend" asked Ginny, hands on her hips and looking like she was seconds away from unleashing one of her famous Bat- Bogey hexes.

"Well, you're my sister… and Harry's my best mate… it's way too weird. Just try not to. I'm happy you two are back together, but keep the public displays of affection to a minimum, ok" stammered Ron as he tried to find an explanation.

"Well if you two are done bickering, I would really like to have some lunch. I'm starving" said Harry, looking back and forth between Ron and Ginny, his stomach eliciting a loud growl. He took Ginny's hand in his own, and began to walk to the staircases that would lead to the Gryffindor common room.

Walking past the portrait of the Fat Lady, the trio began to make their way to the Great Hall, acknowledging a number of congratulations and thanks from students and their families. Many of them like Dennis Creevy had sad smiles on their faces. As they entered the Great Hall, the smell of Hogwarts' cooking wafted into Harry's nose and his stomach began to growl again.

"And the beast awakens" teased Ginny, rubbing her hand over Harry's stomach.

Harry responded by wrapping an arm around her waist, and heard Ron trying to stifle a groan from behind it, but failing miserably. Realising just how hungry he was Harry quickened his pace and made his way towards the far end of the Gryffindor table where all the Weasleys were seated.

"Good morning Harry dear, are you alright?" asked Mrs Weasley, getting up to give Harry one of her bone crushing hugs.

"I'm fine Mrs Weasley. Thanks for taking care of me last night. Now all I need is a lot of food. I'm starving" he replied, returning her bone crushing hug with equal vigour.

Harry began to pile his plate with as much food that would fit, then took his place beside Ginny and began to eat. As he ate, he took a chance to look around the Great Hall at the sea of students and their families. As he looked around, he saw Neville sitting and talking with Luna and other members of the Dumbledore's Army, the sword of Gryffindor beside him. He was looking less of a harried herbology student, and more of the young man that had made his grandmother so proud last night. As Ginny noticed this, she put her hand on his arm.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Harry noticed that all the Weasleys were looking expectantly at him. So he said, "Look, I all of you an explanation, but it's a really long story. So why don't we meet in the classroom outside the Great Hall. Mr Weasley, could you ask Professor McGonagall and Kingsley to come as well? It would be best if the two of them knew the truth, then they can tell the rest of the Order."

"Of course Harry. Why don't I find them for you and you, Ginny Hermione and Ron can meet the rest of us in the classroom" said Mr Weasley, as he and the rest of the family stood up to find the remaining Order members.

When the extended Weasley family had cleared out, Harry realised that he was now in the clear view of everyone in the Great Hall. He quickly tried to get under the invisibility cloak, but it was too late as suddenly, a great roar went up and the whole Great Hall erupted into applause, many of them craning their necks to get a better view of Harry. Not wanting to be rude, he smiled sheepishly and gave a little wave before looking at his three best friends helplessly and giving a shrug.

Once he was done eating, Harry once again took hold of Ginny's hand and the two couples made their way to the classroom. Closing the door behind them, Hermione took out her wand and muttered a few incantations to seal the door. The Weasleys were all seated already, so Harry took a seat at the front of the classroom, with Ginny at his right and Ron and Hermione on his left.

"Alright Harry, we're here and ready to listen" said George

Harry took a deep breath and looked at George, his face reminding him once again of the great loss this family had suffered

"First off, I want to say just how sorry I am about Fred. I can't help thinking that its all my fault all this people are dead. If I had been a little quicker…"

Before Harry could finish his line of thought though, he was interrupted by George.

"Look Harry, if you're going to somehow say that what happened to Fred is your fault, I'll pummel you, saviour of the world or not. The only on who will take all the blame for this is You-Know… damn it, Voldemort. You've done more to help the wizarding world than any other single person by killing him, so no need to be a noble git about it and just move on" said George, fixing him with a stare and a slight grin on his face.

"Thanks George, he needed that" said Ginny smiling at Harry and once again placing her palm on his.

Feelings of guilt mostly gone, Harry continued and narrated what had happened since that night in the Department of Mysteries, to finding out about the hocruxes, to destroying them, to seeing Snape's memories and finding out he was the last hocrux. When he said this, a collective gasp went up around the room everyone looked at Harry with looks of pointed disbelief. Taking a deep breath, he then described the walk into the Forbidden Forest, using the Resurrection Stone and letting Voldemort kill him. When he said that, a murmur went up around the room, so he said, "But it didn't work. I just got knocked out, and pretended to be dead as Hagrid brought me out. You know the rest".

When he looked up, he saw that all of them were looking at him clearly at a loss for words. Mrs Weasley was sobbing into her husband's shoulders, Hermione was covering her face with her hands as Ron tried to console her, and Ginny was once again crying, burying her face in Harry's arm.

'Harry, this goes beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Willingly going to sacrifice yourself and carrying the burden of the prophecy around for these past few years…" said Kingsley in a subdued voice.

"I didn't have much of a choice. And Professor Snape was Dumbledore's man through and through. He never betrayed him. And I didn't tell anyone because honestly, I thought I wouldn't live to tell the tale. But now, I'm alive and have a future and have no idea what to do. Without my parents or Professor Dumbledore or Sirius, I have no idea who to turn to. You guys have been like my family for so long so…" Harry trailed off, clearly thinking about what he was going to do now.

It happened so fast Harry had not time to react. Mrs Weasley was up and hugging Harry so quickly, his glasses fell on the floor, but they were picked up by Charlie, who was standing beside him. Ginny and Hermione were also hugging him, both their faces wet from crying.

Mr Weasley pulled them back after a while and Charlie handed Harry his glasses.

"Thanks guys, I really needed that" said Harry, flashing appreciative grins at everyone and giving Ginny a swift peck on the cheek.

"Harry, a couple of years ago, you told me during your consultation that you would like to be an Auror. And if I remember correctly, Mr Weasley shared a similar ambition. So what do you think, would you like that?" asked Professor McGonagall, her usual stern visage all gone, a small smile on her face.

"I would still like that Professor" replied Harry.

"Same here" said Ron.

"The Auror department, just like all the other departments is very understaffed, and since you two have definitely proven that you can fight the Dark Arts I don't see any problem with letting the two of you in without your NEWTs" said Kingsley in his usual deep, calming voice.

"Sir, I don't want any special privileges just because I'm Harry Potter. Also, I think I want to come back to Hogwarts for a year" said Harry, as he really didn't want the Daily Prophet writing about how he was taking advantage of his newfound fame. But more so, he didn't want to spend another year apart from Ginny.

"What about you Ron?" asked Kingsley.

"Well, I don't really want to return to school but if Harry's going back and I assume you are too Hermione?"

"Yes I am."

"Then I don't have much of a choice. Guess I'm coming back too Professor" said Ron with a smile, thinking that maybe, just maybe he would get to enjoy a normal year at Hogwarts for once.

"Very well then. The four of you will receive your Hogwarts letters as usual. I'm looking forward to seeing the four of you back in September. Now if you will excuse Kingsley and I, we have to get ready for the memorial service." Said Professor McGonagall, the stern expression back on her face as the two of them walked out of the classroom.

"Harry, there's one more thing. Gringotts wishes to speak with you" said Bill, his expression not giving anything away.

"This is not about me breaking in and stealing their dragon is it?" asked Harry, clearly concerned.

"No Harry. We explained it to them that it was for the purpose of defeating Voldemort, and for the first time, they co- operated with us and said not to worry about it. They want to speak to you about your inheritance Harry" said Bill, a smile breaking across his badly scarred face.

"Ok. I'll talk to them as soon as possible. There's one more thing Mrs Weasley. I don't really want to go back to the Dursley's for the summer, and the Black house is not exactly appealing. So Do you think that…" said Harry, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"It's not a question Harry. You'll be coming with us to the Burrow so I can feed you and Ron up. Both of you look like a couple of sticks. And remember Harry, you'll always be welcome at the Burrow. I may have lost one son, but I've gotten back one who went astray and found another one, the first without red hair" said Mrs Weasley pulling Harry into another hug.

"So I get to have you to myself this extended summer, do I Mr Potter" asked Ginny in a sly voice.

"Yes you do Ms Weasley" replied Harry, wrapping his arms around Ginny's small waist.

"Good. Because we have a lot of snogging to catch up on" said Ginny, before kissing him soundly on the lips.

As Ron groaned beside him, it looked like for the first time in Harry Potter's life, things were looking up.


	3. Chapter 3

After Harry had explained everything to the Weasleys, he, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had decided to take a walk around the school to talk to their friends and their families. Harry also wanted a chance to catch up with the DA and get a chance to thank Neville, Luna, Ginny and the rest for their help in the Battle of Hogwarts, as well as helping lead the resistance during the school year. So, he had asked Neville to gather the DA for an impromptu meeting in the Room of Requirement.

When he got there, the first thing that he heard was a huge round of applause, as the whole DA was standing up and applauding Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hearing this, he put up a hand to silence the crowd and said "I wanted to meet all of you today to thank you for all your help during the Battle. You guys did a wonderful job protecting the school and fighting off the Death Eaters, and after all, that is why we formed the DA. I couldn't be prouder of you. Also, I wanted to hear from you how bad it got during the school year, and tell you what Ron, Hermione and I were off doing during that time. I think that if anyone deserves to know what happened, it is this group of witches and wizards. But before that, can we have a moment of silence for all the two members who lost their lives in the battle, Colin, your unrestricted enthusiasm for life was contagious, and those photos you took of us will serve as an everlasting memories for many of us. Fred, you and George made others laugh at the risk of punishment yourself, and your act of defiance against Um-bitch will never be forgotten."

As he said that, a few smiles were seen, before a deathly silence fell among the group, only broken by a few sobs from Dennis and some of the girls. After a few minutes, the DA started to applaud again, and Harry sat down to explain for the third time, what had happened during those past nine months. When he reached the part about the trio's visit to Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna began to cry and make her towards the door.

At that, Harry stood up and put a hand on her shoulder before saying "Luna, I do not blame your father for that incident. He was only doing it to protect you from the Death Eaters, and even if it was his fault we got attacked, we forgive him." Hearing his words of consolation, Luna turned around to give Harry a quick hug before going back to her seat, and Harry continued with the explanation. When he told the group how he was the last horcrux, a collective gasp went up around the room and the people started to murmur among each other.

"Does that mean you… died?" asked Parvati with tears in her eyes.

"No I did not. Or else how would I be sitting here talking to you?" replied Harry.

"You're not a ghost, are you mate?" asked Seamus quizzically.

"Don't be daft Seamus, and let the man explain" replied Ron with a grin on his face. And so he did. He told them about his mother's protection, and how Voldemort had taken his blood to be resurrected, and how both would live while the other was alive. The he explained his walk into the Forest, getting hit with the killing curse and talking to Dumbledore before saying "Well you guys know the rest. Narcissa lied to Riddle about me being dead, our brave Neville stood up to Voldemort and killed the snake, and the rest, as they say is history" finished Harry, drawing a blush from Neville and earning him a few claps on the back from the guys and kisses on the cheek from the girls.

"Now that I have explained what happened to me, it's your turn to tell me what happened while I was gone. I know you tried to steal the Sword of Gryffindor and got caught, and I know you had to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who had detentions. So please, go on, I want to know everything" said Harry.

This began a long explanation, mainly done by Neville, Luna and Ginny, about how horrible a place Hogwarts had become during the rule of Severus Snape, who, ironically was not as horrible as previously thought. They explained how Quidditch had been cancelled, and DADA had become Dark Arts and Muggle Studies was more of Alecto Carrow telling them how stupid and worthless muggles and muggle borns were. Anyone with known association of Harry Potter, which included everyone in the DA, had to submit for questioning about the whereabouts of Harry. This would include multiple hexes until they said anything. When given detention, Crabbe, Goyle and a number of other Slytherins would mercilessly practise the Cruciatus Curse on them. The girls were made to suffer endless sexual taunts, and Crabbe had even gone as far as trying to touch Luna inappropriately, but after Luna had lashed out and punched him, Neville had decided that it had gone too far and the DA had to be reformed. Since detention was given immediately for anyone who drew wands in school, the DA had learnt to fight with their fists from Seamus, who had plenty of experience with that at home. Some of the girls had also learned healing, as nobody was allowed to go to Madam Pomfrey without the permission of the Carrows, which was hardly ever given. Then, they had started rebelling, first by getting out at night and writing slogans on the walls, and generally defying the rule of the Carrows.

When Harry heard all of this, he could not help but stare at Ginny, who gave him a reassuring look, telling him that she was alright. But what Harry was looking at her with was not a look of worry, but a look of pride. And he said so, "You guys have no idea how proud I am of what you have done in the school. Especially your contribution during the Battle, as without it there is no way I could have had a chance of defeating Voldemort. So I want to thank you for all your help and know that if any of you need anything in the future, you only have to ask." With that, he, Ron and Hermione began to clap and were soon joined by the rest of the DA, punctuated by wolf whistles from when Harry leaned in to give Ginny a kiss. There were smiles all around, and as Harry made his way out of the room, each member had a hug for him, with Dennis holding on the longest as Ginny and Hermione consoled him. As Harry made his way to the grounds for the memorial service, he knew that in Dumbledore's Army, he had a group of friends so dear and near, and more importantly, so trustworthy, that they would last a lifetime.


	4. Chapter 4

The memorial was set to take place at the grounds near the lake, where unknown to Harry, Hagrid and Professor Flitwick had been levitating and sculpting various pieces of rubble to make a pyramid, which was an ancient symbol of good's victory over evil. Each of the three sides of the pyramid had been divided into smaller rectangles, onto which the names of those who had perished during the battle were to be carved by their next of kin. Around the pyramid in a circle were the headstones of Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin and the others where a small message was going to be etched in their honour. Harry had already talked to Professor McGonagall about having Professor Snape's name there as well, considering the contributions he had made by being the spy and the number of times he had helped save Harry's life, starting from that first Quidditch match.

About two hundred seats were lined up facing the memorial, beside which a temporary dais had been set up. Kingsley, Professor McGonagall and the small wizard who had officiated at Dumbledore's funeral stood on it when Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny made their way to the grounds.

As Harry looked at the people who had assembled, he noticed that nearly everyone there had lost at least one loved one during the battle. He could not help but think that if he had been a little more decisive, he could have prevented a lot of their deaths. As Harry looked through the crowd for the Weasleys, he spotter Andromeda Tonks sitting near them, his godson Teddy Lupin cradled in her arms. She looked extremely harried, like she hadn't slept for days at end. Grabbing Ginny's arm, he made his way towards the grandmother- godson pair.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of getting to meet Harry Potter and his girlfriend" asked Mrs Tonks with a smile on her face.

"Well..uh..um if you weren't aware Mrs Tonks, Remus made me Teddy's godfather when he came to announce his birth at Shell Cottage." Harry replied hesitantly.

"I'm well aware of that young fellow me lad. Here, hold your godson. And no calling me Mrs Tonks. I think we will be getting to know each other fairly well in the years to come, so, please just call me Andromeda" she said, nothing about her revealing that she was actually Bellatrix Lestrange's sister.

When Andromeda handed Teddy to Harry, he was hesitant to hold him at first, but after she had showed him the correct way to hold a baby, he took him in his arms and said softly to him "Hey Teddy. I'm your godfather, Harry. You and I are going to have some very fun times together, I promise you. I'll buy you your first broomstick and everything. Your parents were wonderful people, Teddy, but just like me, you got to spend very little time with them. But unlike me, you'll be surrounded by people who love you, so hopefully you won't miss them as much. I promise to tell you about them when you're older". Tears sprung to his eyes as he looked at Teddy open his eyes upon hearing his voice. Looking at Harry, he smiled a toothless grin before changing his hair colour to Harry's jet black and his eye colour to green.

Looking at that, Ginny exclaimed, "Awwh he looks so cute! Come on let me hold him". Hearing the glee in her voice, Harry wordlessly handed over Teddy into Ginny's outstretched arms. She immediately began to lightly tickle Teddy's stomach, causing him to giggle and turn his hair red and eyes brown.

"Looks like he likes you, Ginny. And I must say, he has an excellent choice in women" said Harry with a laugh.

"Alright you two. The memorial is about to begin, so go find your seats and you can help me change Teddy's nappies later" said Andromeda, a smirk appearing on her face at the looks on Harry and Ginny's faces.

"Before we leave, Mrs… Andromeda, if you ever need anything, be it gold or babysitting services, don't hesitate to ask. And when he gets a bit older, maybe I could take him for the weekends. I haven't gotten to play with wizarding toys, so the both of us should have a lot of fun discovering them together" said Harry before leaning in to give both Teddy and Andromeda a hug.

"Of course Harry. And don't worry about gold. I think my husband left me more than enough to take care of Teddy"

That being said, Harry and Ginny quickly made their way to their seats beside Ron and Hermione just as the small wizard stood up on the dais to address the crowd.

"Today, we are gathered here to celebrate our victory against Lord Voldemort. But before we do that, we must not forget what we lost in order for this war to be won. We have lost many people, and today we honour their memory, in hopes that their sacrifice will never be forgotten and so that we live our lives following their examples of self-sacrifice and bravery."

With that, the small wizard pulled out a piece of parchment and began to read the names of those who had died during the battle. Their next of kin would come up, often with two people at their side, and carve their names onto the pyramid. Then, they would carve their name onto the headstone, followed by a small message. By the time they returned to their seats, they were often in tears and as more and more names were read, more and more sobs were heard throughout the grounds, and a sombre atmosphere began to take place.

"Remus John Lupin" called out the wizard.

Harry stood up without hesitation and began to make his way towards the pyramid, at his side both Ginny and Andromeda. Although he looked calm on the outside, his mind was being flooded with the excellent memories of Remus teaching him how to conjure a patronus, that night in the Shrieking Shack, how he had taken the time to comfort Harry after Sirius' death and many, many others. Tears soon started flooding down his cheeks as he approached the pyramid and took out his wand to etch Remus' name. He was only able to make it to the 'J' before his hand started to waver, but before it could fall, Ginny grabbed his wrist and helped him to finish writing his name. She also had tears running down her cheeks as the trio made their way to the headstone with Remus' name. Harry stopped to think about what would be a fitting tribute to Remus, and the solution was so easy he was surprised he hadn't thought of it before. As Harry made his way back to his seat, the headstone said, _Moony, with a furry little problem_.

Tonks' name was next to be called out, and Andromeda made her way back to the pyramid to write Tonks' name, Mr and Mrs Weasley supporting her. When at the headstone, Andromeda crouched down and wrote, _Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only_.

Fred's name was the last to be called out, and George stood up with his arms around Bill and Charlie. Tears were streaming down their faces, and nobody could imagine how George felt. Fred and George were joined at the hip since birth, and were virtually inseparable. When he reached the pyramid and started etching his name, he faltered ant the first 'e', but Bill and Charlie were there to help him get through it before they made their way to his headstone. George had already decided what he was going to write and as the officiating wizard began his closing speech, all that Fred's headstone said was _Mischief Managed_.

During this whole time, Harry had never relinquished his grip on Ginny's hand, and when Fred's name was called out, she buried her face in his shoulder and started to sob uncontrollably. He did what he could to comfort her, murmuring soft words of comfort in her ear and stroking her back and hair while planting soft kisses on her cheeks and lips.

A similar situation was going on beside the couple, but in this case, Hermione was the one comforting Ron as he grieved the loss of his brother. He was trying to be strong, but that didn't stop the steady stream of tears that were flowing down his cheeks. Hermione was also crying, but at the same time she was trying to comfort Ron by whispering in his ear and offering her shoulder for him to lean on.

Once the small wizard had finished his closing remarks, he raised his wand to put a number of spells to protect the memorial from destruction. Once he was done, he took his seat and Kingsley took his place at the centre of the dais to start speaking.

"As we mourn our dead and celebrate our victory today, let us not forget the people who have made this possible. So today, the Ministry of Magic would like to honour those who were essential in making this possible."

As Harry heard those words he realised that he was going to be honoured, praised and applauded. And this made him sick to the stomach. As he was about to stand up to leave, Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit down before whispering, "They want to honour you because you helped them Harry. Accept the fact that you have done a great service to the Wizarding World. Take this as a way for it to thank you. It'll be considered disrespectful if you leave now".

Grudgingly, Harry sat back down and listened as Kingsley mentioned how the DA formed the core of the army that had battled against the Death Eaters, and how they opposed the rule of the Carrows during the past nine months. Hearing that, Harry could not help but feel a sense of pride in his friends as they went up to receive their Order of Merlin, Third Class.

"Next, we would like to award Order of Merlin, Second Class to the three members of the DA whole led them in their fight against the Death Eaters in the absence of the original leaders. I am, of course, talking about Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley. Will the three of you please come up to receive your medals."

Before Ginny stood up, she turned around to give Harry a huge kiss on the lips, her face beaming with pride and her eyes alit with the enthusiasm that had first drawn Harry to her. As Harry stood up to applaud her, he could hear Mrs Weasley crying behind him, but this time he knew that they were tears of a mother's love and pride for her daughter.

Once the trio had made their way back to their seats, Kingsley's deep voice once again boomed over the crowd. "And last, but not least, I would like to thank the three people that made this all possible, risking their lives for the past three months on the run while trying to defeat Voldemort, had it not been for these three, we would not be standing here today. I am of course talking to you about Ms Hermione Granger, Mr Ron Weasley and Mr Harry Potter".

When their names were announced, a great roar went up as the grounds of Hogwarts were filled with sounds of everybody applauding. The three of them were extremely red- faced as they began to walk towards the dais to receive their Order of Merlin's, First Class. Harry shook hands with Kingsley after he had pinned the badge on his robe and he heard a chant of "Speech, speech, speech" go up around the crowd. Ron and Hermione immediately stepped backward, thinking that this was Harry's moment of glory, but he pulled the two of them back to either side of him anyways before speaking.

"Before I say anything, I would like for all of you to know that Ron and Hermione had as big a role to play in helping defeat Voldemort as I did. Without them, I would not have even survived for a day on the run. Ron was the glue that kept us together, always lightening the mood with his sarcasm. He also had a different way of looking at things that helped us out of many tight spots. Hermione was the brains behind the mission, and without her knowledge of, well, everything, we would probably have been caught very soon. So first of all I want to thank the two of you and everybody else that participated during the battle for your courage and sacrifice. But now, we must make sure that a villain like Voldemort doesn't rise again. Why did the Hogwarts going Tom Riddle become Lord Voldemort? That was because his whole life, he had been devoid of love. He was the product of a witch who had fallen in love with a muggle and bewitched him such that he would return her love. In the end, when Tom Riddle Sr. found out the truth about his relationship with his wife he ran off, leaving her to give birth to who we now know as Lord Voldemort, and dying in the process. What do you think would have happened if instead of growing up in an orphanage devoid of love, Tom had grown up in a family that cared for him and who he was? Professor Dumbledore once told me that I had a weapon Voldemort did not. It was love. I did not believe him at first, but now I think that moving forward if we love our fellow wizard or witch, not taking into consideration blood or financial status, it will be very difficult for the likes of Tom Riddle to rise again."

As Harry finished his applause erupted again, punctuated by a few wolf whistles from Seamus and Dean and everyone started to make their way back to the Great Hall for dinner. However, before Harry could follow the crowd, Kingsley and Professor McGonagall stopped them and he said "If you did not know, I have been appointed Temporary Minister of Magic. The reporters have been banging at our door for a press conference, so I would like to discuss with the three of you which parts of the story you want released to the public. I would also like to talk about a few other things, so is it okay to ask you to follow me to the Head's office?"

While Kingsley was talking, Harry kept glancing back to see if he could catch Ginny's eye, and heaved a sigh when he saw the smile playing on her lips.

"Harry?" Ron said bringing him back to reality.

"Yeah, sure. Is it ok if Ginny comes?" asked Harry tentatively.

"Sure"

Hearing the affirmation, Harry practically ran to Ginny and asked her to follow him to the Head's office, explaining everything on the way.

When they stopped at the stone gargoyle outside the office, Professor McGonagall said "Lemon drop" and the gargoyle groaned open to reveal the spiral staircase. Once inside, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat on one side of the table while Kingsley and Professor McGonagall sat on the other side.

Hermione was the first to speak and said "I don't think it would be wise to reveal anything about the Hallows, or our visit to see Xenophilius Lovegood. We should also leave out the part where Ron.. um.. leaves"

"But many of the reporters saw him at Shell Cottage, and wandering about. I know the two of you have forgiven him, but we have to say something" replied Kingsley, everyone in the room clearly sensing Ron's discomfort.

Putting a hand on his best mate's shoulder, Harry said "We can just tell them that we sent him out to find out how his family was doing, and after that he couldn't find us because we had to keep moving".

"That'll work. So, anything else you want to exclude?" asked Kingsley.

"Nothing in detail about the horcruxes bit, I reckon. We don't want anybody getting any ideas now, do we?" said Ron nonchalantly.

"Right. I'll draft up a press release, so you people don't have to do a press conference until sometime later"

"We still have to do it though?" asked Ginny, knowing Harry's dislike for reporters.

"It's not something we can cancel, but we can push it back Miss Weasley" said Professor McGonagall, a slight grin on her normally serious face. Harry shrugged at her response, thinking later is better than now.

"Ok, secondly, I need your help. The Ministry is extremely understaffed at the moment, especially the Aurors department. I really need you two to come in as soon as possible, and that may mean not taking your NEWts. I know you were reluctant, but most of the Death Eaters escaped before we could capture them, and I do not know anyone with a better knowledge of them than you. I really need your help" said Kingsley, a pleading tone in his voice.

"Don't you think they've helped enough?" asked Ginny, not wanting to spend another year away from Harry. Harry on the other hand was feeling angry at the fact that all the Death Eaters had escaped. But before he could ask the question, Ron jumped in and asked it for him "How could you not have captured the Death Eaters? They were right there!" shouted Ron, clearly agitated at the fact that the people who had caused Fred's death and Hermione's torture were on the loose.

"Please lower your voice Mr Weasley. The Aurors could not arrive in time to make the arrests, and we were all a little tired to do it ourselves"

"All the more reason to join as soon as possible" whispered Harry.

"ARE YOU MAD! WE JUST SPENT A YEAR APART AND NOW YOU WANT TO GO RUN OFF WITH THE AURORS?" screamed Ginny, before stomping off out of the Head's office.

"Well, aren't you going to go after her?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah. But whatever happens Kingsley, I'll be joining the Aurors on September 2nd, and you can send whatever training manuals you have to the Burrow. Ron and I will try to go over most of them by the time we start. Between then and now, if you need our help, don't hesitate to ask, but I won't be going on any missions"

"Same here" said Ron.

And don't worry Mr Potter, special arrangements will be made so that you and Mr Weasley may visit your girlfriends at school. It's the least we can do" said Professor McGonagall, the smile more visible on her face

With that done, Harry rushed out of the office to try and placate his girlfriend, not knowing whether she would listen to reason. In his head, he was already forming a plan about how he could be with Ginny and still join the Aurors.


	5. Chapter 5

Not knowing where Ginny had run off to, Harry slipped out the moleskin pouch he always carried with him and took out the Marauder's Map to look for Ginny. Her dot was moving towards the lake, so Harry tucked the map back inside his pouch and took off for the lake as fast as his legs could carry him.

Ginny, on the other hand was infuriated at Harry's insolence. She had just endured a full nine months of torture, both physical and emotional, and now all Harry wanted to do was run off with the Aurors while she spent another year at Hogwarts? She had tried to be reasonable when she heard that that Harry wanted to join up with the Aurors, but her feelings of anger had overcome her and she had shouted at Harry. Now, as she sat on the edge of the lake with her feet ankle- deep in the cold water, she realised that shouting at Harry in front of both McGonagall and Kingsley may not have been the best course of action.

"Knut for your thoughts, Ginny" came a familiar voice behind her. There was the subject of her thoughts standing behind her, his facial expression revealing nothing of what was going on behind those bright green eyes of his.

Seating himself down beside Ginny, he took her hand in his and said "I understand how you feel about this, Ginny. But please be reasonable."

"I know I know" replied Ginny "I shouldn't have shouted at you but I was so angry. So are you still going to work for the Aurors?"

"Yes I am. I've got to finish it. There are still quite a few Death Eater's, and I need to find them and put them away before we have another Voldemort."

"But you said I could have you all to myself this summer. All that snogging…" replied Ginny a smile on her face. Hearing that, Harry laughed and pulled Ginny towards him and kissed her, stroking her back and taking in her flowery scent. _ Don't think kissing Ginny will ever get old_, Harry thought as he pulled away, albeit reluctantly.

"I've got it all worked out. Kingsley wants Ron and I to become full Aurors as soon as possible, but I reckon we'll still need some training. Kingsley will be sending over some manuals for us to study over the summer and you and Hermione can help with that. We'll spend the summer together, and then you and Hermione will go off to school while Ron and I can get started on getting those Death Eater bastards behind bars in Azkaban" said Harry softly, his arm still around Ginny's waist.

Hearing this, Ginny relaxed considerably and after pecking Harry on the lips, and stood up while extending her hand for Harry to take, saying "So you want to get some dinner? Bet Mum and the others are worried sick".

"You're not mad at me anymore? I would have expected the first Weasley to be born in 3 generations to be a bit more fiery" asked Harry, a playful grin plastered across his face.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious. Now come on hurry up, I'm starving" said Ginny sarcastically, her hands on her hips.

"Though you seem to have inherited the Weasley appetite" bantered Harry as he got up, dusted his robes and took Ginny's hand before following her to the Great Hall. For that statement, Harry got a smack on the arm from Ginny while they walked, taking in the destruction of the castle from the grounds.

Making their way into the Great Hall, Harry sat down at the senior end of the Gryffindor table where the other Weasleys and Hermione were already eating. Taking a seat beside Ron, Harry began to ladle beef casserole onto his and Ginny's plates before taking a moment to glance at the staff table where he noticed a large absence in the form of Hagrid.

"Reckon we need to visit Hagrid soon. He must have been horrified to have needed to carry my body" said Harry.

"Good point, we'll go see him after dinner" replied Ron, his mouth full of food. Hermione shot him a disgusted look before nodding at Harry. Ron returned her look with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Once Harry was done eating, the four of them stood up to go to Hagrid's but not before Ron said that he needed the lavatory, and asked Harry to go with him. Telling the girls they would catch up, they walked out of the Great Hall and towards the nearest bathroom. Harry suspected that his reason was not that he needed to empty his bladder, but that he wanted to talk to Harry alone.

Once they were inside, Harry asked "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?".

"It's Ginny…" replied Ron but before he could go any further, Harry cut in and said "You don't need to worry. I love her and don't intend to hurt her. You have absolutely no reason to worry."

"Yeah but still, Bill and Charlie were interrogating me about why the two of you seemed so cosy, so I told them, and mom and dad just happened to overhear You'll be getting a talk from dad soon, so I just wanted to give you a heads up about it" replied Ron.

"Oh that's going to be weird. But since you warned me, let me warn you that once Hermione returns her parents from Australia, you'll be getting the talk from her dad as well. Also, if you do anything to hurt her, I'll hex you"

"You have no right to say that! Hermione's not your sister!" exclaimed Ron furiously.

"She might as well be. I told you before, I love her like a sister, nothing else, so keep that in mind. You don't want the wizard who defeated Voldemort on your bad side, do you" said Harry, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"Oh just stuff it" said Ron as he led Harry out and towards the grounds, but not before he had clouted him on the shoulder. Wincing slightly, Harry looked at Ron with a 'what was that for' look as Ron said "Not so high and mighty now are you?"

Laughing, Harry walked down the cliff to where the gamekeeper's hut now stood, although the pumpkin patch and grounds were now almost unrecognisable because of the battle. There the two boys saw their girls jumping and giggling while clapping their hands together, apparently engaging in some female ritual that Harry and Ron had not heard of.

"What are you two so happy about? And where's Hagrid?" asked Ron, exasperated before saying in an undertone to Harry "I'll never get girls".

While Harry smiled at that and leaned in to give Ginny a kiss, Hermione said to Ron with an accusing tone "I'll tell you if tell me what you and Harry were talking about in the bathroom. Seriously, you could not have chosen a more girly place to talk"

Ginny and Hermione both were a bit pink in the face, while Ron was stuttering while trying to reason with Hermione. But before Harry could say anything, they heard a familiar voice "Hello, yeh four. I wondered when I'd be seein' yeh. Nice to know yeh haven' forgotten 'bout me"

"We just wanted to see how you were doing after… well after Harry…" replied Hermione, not knowing what to say.

"No need ter worry' abou' meh. I'll be fine. Don't gemme' wrong, I was mighty scared when yeh came ou' of the fores' lookin' dead, but now tha' You-K… Voldemort's gone, I can rest easy" replied Hagrid, leading the way into his hut and setting out rock cakes which the four of them avoided.

"That's great to hear Hagrid. How's the reconstruction of the school comin' along?" asked Harry once they were all seated with steaming mugs of tea in their hands.

"It shouldn' be much of a problem, but it'll take time. Of course, I 'spect yeh lot will see it come September" said Hagrid, taking an enormous bite of his rock cake. However, he didn't see the guilty looks the four of them were sharing, as Hagrid had no idea that Harry and Ron were not coming back.

"Um, Hagrid, just so you know, Harry and Ron are not coming back next year. The Minister wants them to become Aurors to help track down the Death Eaters who escaped after the battle" said Ginny sheepishly. When she said that, Hagrid looked slightly crestfallen but perked up almost immediately before saying " Doesn' matter, I knew yeh two weren' gonna come back, but atleas' yeh girls will be 'ere to keep an ol' man company. And Harry! Ron! Goin' ter be Aurors! I couldn' be prouder of yeh two. And Harry, I imagine yeh mum and dad would be proud too"

"Thanks Hagrid, it means a lot coming from you. And take care of our girls for us, ok?" said Ron, casting a sidelong glance at Hermione and Ginny.

"No need ter worry. Although I reckon they won' be needin' takin' care of now that yeh two are gone".

"You're probably right, you know. Now that Harry's gone, the school will finally have some peace and quiet, and I can get on with studying without the two of you distracting me all the time" replied Hermione, trying to act stern but clearly failing.

"So I'm a distraction, Hermione?" said Ron, putting an arm around her shoulders and wiggling his eyebrows. Hermione went red at that and the whole hut seemed to be laughing.

All righ' yeh four. You should be goin' back now, or Molly will have me throat. Come an' visit in the summer if yeh have the time".

As Hagrid led the four of them out the door, Harry suddenly felt as though he owed a lot to Hagrid, as he had been the one to help him first settle into the wizarding world and given him the first photos of his parents. Not knowing what made him do it, he turned around and ran up to Hagrid to give him a hug. When in his embrace, Harry felt like a first year again, but safe in the arms of Hagrid.

"Thanks for everything Hagrid" said Harry into the huge coat.

Hagrid, who could never keep his emotions in check, was crying loudly and one could hardly hear him say "No problem Harry."

Once Harry had let go, Hagrid looked down on him fondly, ruffled his hair and Harry ran off to join Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"What was that about" asked Ginny as the four of them walked back to the Great Hall.

"I dunno. I felt as if I owed him quite a lot you know. He was my first link to the wizarding world, and has been there ever since. I just tried to convey all that in the hug" replied Harry with a bit of a shrug.

"I reckon he got the message, judging by the crying" said Ron.

"You know Ron, you still have the emotional range of a teaspoon. We have to work on that" bantered Hermione.

"Can I have private lessons with you Ms Granger?" countered Ron, trying to get a reaction out of his new girlfriend.

"Of course you can." Replied Hermione, leaning in to kiss Ron on the cheek, leaving him temporarily speechless and very red.

As they made their way into the Great Hall they saw that everyone was assembled there, considering that Professor McGonagall was going to make some announcements as everybody was going to be leaving for their homes the next day.

Once she saw that they had taken their seats she stepped up to the podium and said "Good evening to all of you. As you know, most of you will be leaving Hogwarts tomorrow to go back to your respective homes and continue with your lives after the tumultuous events of the past few months. Therefore, I would like to make a few announcements with regard to the school. Firstly, as you all know, the Board of Governors has very kindly appointed me as Headmistress and I would know that we are once again in need of a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Mr Bill Weasley has very kindly agreed to take up the post, at least for the next year. He will also be taking up my old post as Head of Gryffindor house." Hearing that, a huge round of applause went up around the Gryffindor table, and all the Weasleys stood up to give him their congratulations. Bill got a huge hug from Ginny, as she had always looked up to Bill.

Professor McGonagall continued, "Also, non- OWL and NEWT students will be allowed to take their exams in August, and exact dates will be sent to you along with your school letters. Unfortunately, OWL and NEWT students will have to retake their years, due to the intense workload. Last but not least, anyone who would like to help out with the reconstruction of the school are to see Professor Flitwick after this. I hope to see most of the students here back in September. I wish you all a good night"

At that, there was the huge scraping of chairs as everyone began to file out of the Great Hall and towards the dormitories. As Harry walked up the staircase in Gryffindor tower, he was looking forward to a new life starting tomorrow, and wondered what lay ahead for him after the summer. But for now, he was willing to stop worrying and start enjoying time at the Burrow with his favourite people in the world. The end of the war was indeed, the beginning of something wonderful in Harry Potter's life.


	6. Authors Note and Announcement

Hey readers! I know I haven't made the time to say anything before I started this story, so I'll say it after the fifth chapter, which is the end of the first arc. Its not really an arc, its just that Harry is leaving Hogwarts and now is the time for him to start with the Aurors. So as it says in my description, this story is Harry and Ron with the Aurors,Ginny at school and with the Harpies (This is not a spoiler, its been revealed by J.K Rowling) and Hermione working at the Ministry. Its going to be a happy story, with quite a few battle scenes if I can write them properly. I am a novice so if you have any advice, please feel free to review. I greatly appreciate the help. And if you like the story, leave a follow/favourite, it helps boost my confidence. I have not set a timeline for this story. I'm not sure I would be good at writing about kids and dealing with that, but we'll see. I have read quite a lot of HP fanfiction. Basically, I'll stop writing when I find that my heart's not in it anymore, because I won't write well. Last but not least, I will try and post every 3-4 days, but I try and finish a chapter in 2 days. Its just that sometimes I'm busy so I try and give myself a bit of extra time.

That's it for now, and I'll probably leave an Author's Note on every chapter from now on.

Thank You!


	7. Chapter 6

The next morning, Harry wanted to do a few things at Hogwarts before he left for the Burrow. So after breakfast that morning and a lengthy round of goodbyes with everyone who was leaving, he asked Bill to come with him as he slipped out from the Great Hall under the Invisibility Cloak and led Bill towards the grounds.

"May I ask where we are going, and to do what?" whispered Bill with a grin on his face, as he was well aware of Harry's secretive tendencies.

"You remember me telling Voldemort about how I was the master of the Elder Wand? Well I don't want the wand, and I Dumbledore was its previous master. So we're going to put the wand back in the tomb, and I was hoping you could help me place some advanced wards around it so nobody can come breaking in again" came a reply from seeming nowhere, although it was Harry from under the cloak.

"Sure, I can do that. Only one question. Why don't you want to keep the wand?" asked Bill, with a trace of longing in his voice.

"If people found out that I have the Elder Wand, they'll try and kill me to get hold of it. This way, we can tell the people it's in a secure location and I won't have countless power hungry wizards trying to kill me again"

"Alright then, let's get cracking" said Bill once they had reached Dumbledore's tomb. He took out from his robe a torn and tattered notebook, while Harry took of the Invisibility Cloak and reached into his robes to pull out the Elder Wand and his own holly wand. With the holly, Harry cracked the tomb open, and the face of his wizened mentor came into view. Suppressing the surge of emotion that came welling through him, he placed the Elder Wand back where it belonged before resealing the tomb and applying the usual wards which he knew.

Thereafter, Bill got to work as he flipped several pages of his notebook and muttered incantations under his breath while walking around the tomb. It took him ten minutes to accomplish what was needed, before he closed the notebook and stuffed both that and his wand back into his robe before motioning to Harry to put on his Invisibility Cloak and follow him back to the grounds.

"I've put all the non- fatal wards and curses I knew of on the tomb, so I highly doubt anyone but a curse breaker will be able to get past those" said Bill, his tone all business-like.

"Thanks Bill. If you don't mind me asking, what was that notebook you kept referring to when you were placing the wards?" asked Harry.

"I've had that notebook since my fifth year at Hogwarts. That's when I decided I wanted to be a curse breaker. One of my friends gave me some muggle treasure finding books to read, and I was taken. Since then, I've been putting all I know into this book so I carry it around wherever I go" replied Bill, a reminiscent look on his face. "Now, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure. But before that, I wanted to thank you and Fleur for letting us stay at Shell Cottage and taking such good care of us. I know it must have been hard for you two, not knowing what was going on, but I hope now everything is much clearer" said Harry, now wondering what Bill wanted to ask him about.

"It was no problem. If you must know, Fleur rather liked having more people around and it really brought out her mothering instinct. We've been talking quite a bit about you these past few days, and she is extremely sorry about the way she treated you during the TriWizard Tournament. Now, she thinks you are extremely brave to have willingly given yourself up" said Bill with a pat on Harry's back. "Now back to my question. What are your intentions with my sister? You broke her heart once, and I don't think I want to see her like that again."

Harry was a little bit hesitant about what to say before he decided to go with the truth and said "I love Ginny with all my heart and promise to honour and protect her. I don't think I could bear breaking up with her again so I don't think your family has anything to worry about."

"That's good to hear, Harry. Personally, I don't thing Ginny could've chosen anyone better. And here me and my brothers were thinking we were going to take the mickey out of the guys Ginny brought home" said Bill, as they sat back down at the Gryffindor Table. Ginny had not come down for breakfast yet, and Harry was waiting for her as the next thing he needed to do was with her.

"Why can't you take the mickey out of me? I won't mind it all that much you know" said Harry with a smile on his face. To be honest, he wanted nothing more than for the Weasleys to accept him, and if this was needed to achieve it, he had no problem.

"How are we supposed to take the mickey out of the Chosen Saviour of All Wizardkind?" said George, who had overheard Bill and him talking. When he heard his new nickname, he let out a very audible groan, eliciting laughs from all those around him before an idea sprang to his mind.

"Well if you can't take the mickey out of me, at least make fun of Ron. What, ickle Ronnekins has got himself a bird you know. A bird with the name Hermione Granger" said Harry, a huge grin plastered across his face.

"That's brilliant Harry! So many opportunities will fall upon us to make fun of ickle Ronnekins" said George, an identical grin plastered across his face. "Any ideas?"

'I've got one, but we'll need Fleur" said Harry, looking at Bill.

"What role my wife plays in this elaborate scheme of yours, may I ask?" replied Bill. Although his face was serious, his tone betrayed the boyish childishness that harry had come to love about the Weasley men.

"You know how Fleur greets everyone with two kisses on the cheek?" Everyone nodded. "Well, last summer when she was staying here, Ron always tried to get those kisses and when he did, he went utterly red in the face and Hermione looked horrified. I hope you catch my drift" said Harry, a plan formulating.

"So you boys are planneeng to take ze, 'ow I say, mickey out of Ron" said a voice behind them. All of them turned their heads to see Fleur Weasley standing there in all her beauty, an amused expression on her face as she leaned in to kiss her husband. Harry was as red as any of the Weasleys hair, and seeing that Fleur laughed, which sounded almost like a tinker. She looked at him questioning and said "You seem to be ze mastermind of zis plot, 'Arry. I'm in"

"Uh well, brilliant then" Harry stuttered.

Now as Harry turned his head towards the entrance of the Great Hall, he could see Ron, Hermione and Ginny walking towards them. He said in an undertone to everyone assembled "Let's do it".

The three of them got to the table and were about to sit down when Harry and Fleur approached them. Harry immediately went to Ginny, and gave her a kiss while whispering "Watch Fleur". She looked at him questioningly, but with a reassuring nod, she did as told.

Fleur on the hand had walked up to Ron and Hermione and exclaimed "Ron! 'Ermione! Good morning!" before giving Ron a long hug and then leaning in to kiss him on botth cheeks. Ron had gone beetroot red by this time, and had an embarrassed yet happy look on his face when Fleur was done with her ministrations. Hermione on the other hand looked furious and was ready to start bickering with Ron when he leaned in to kiss her full on the lips, pulling her closer to him and in the process forcing Fleur to move away. Everyone had a good laugh about it, before they sat down for breakfast once Mr and Mrs Weasley had arrived with Charlie and Percy.

Once everyone was done with breakfast, Harry motioned for Ron, Hermione and Ginny to follow him out of the Great Hall as he once again slipped under his Invisibility Cloak while the other Weasleys were discussing about Fred's funeral. As Ginny grabbed his hand while the four of them walked out of the Great Hall, he explained to them how he intended to find the Half- Blood Prince's potions book.

"Don't you think it burned down in the fire?" asked Hermione, always the practical one.

"Maybe, but if there's a chance it can be found, it'll be a great way to remember Snape. Besides, I have a feeling Ron and I are going to be needing some help with our potions during Auror training" replied Harry. At that Ron nodded while Hermione just shook her head. Ginny on the other hand was sceptical, remembering how the book had made Harry use _Sectumsepra _on Malfoy.

"Don't worry, I won't be using _Sectumsempra _anytime soon. That reminds me, you know how we thought Snape was the one who cut off George's ear?" When everyone replied in the affirmative he continued "Turns out he was trying to curse a Death Eater behind George but missed while flying. He never meant to curse of George's ear."

As Harry said that, the four of them had reached the seventh floor corridor where the Room of Requirement was. Harry walked across it three times asking for the Room of Hidden things, and the door opened.

What they found inside the room surprised all of them, as there was no more fire, and all the things that had been burned were back there. The room looked exactly like how Harry had seen it when he came to hide the Half- Blood Prince's copy of _Advanced Potion Making. _Harry went to look for the book and found it exactly where he had left it more than a year ago. Grabbing it, he hastened to exit out of the room.

"Why the hurry, sweetie" asked Ginny, once again taking her hand in his.

"That place still gives me the creeps. We almost died in there, and Crabbed did die" replied Harry with a shudder.

"That's one of the reasons why I don't want to come back to Hogwarts. Too many bad memories" replied Ron looking around the castle as they walked back to the Great Hall ready to make their way to the Burrow. The Weasleys wanted to get over with Fred's as soon as possible, so they had decided to hold it that afternoon itself. Harry, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys were taking a portkey to the Burrow after breakfast to get ready for Fred's funeral.

Once all the four of them got back to the Great Hall, Mr Weasley made a portkey and they all grabbed it. Harry felt the familiar hooking sensation behind his navel, and before he knew it the whole family had landed outside the Burrow. All of them went inside the kitchen to sit for a while, before Mr Weasley and Bill went outside to make the grave that was to hold Fred's body. George, throughout this whole experience was extremely quiet and was trying to hold back tears. Soon he excused himself to his room.

The next few hours were unlike any others the Burrow had ever seen. There were no explosions coming from the twin's room, and Mrs Weasley was not in her usual cooking stride. Thinking that she might need some help, Harry got up and asked her quietly "Mrs Weasley, do you need any help?" I could always ask Kreacher to come and cook for us."

"No, I'm fine Harry. It's just Fred…". With that she began to sob on Harry's shoulder and tears flowed down her cheeks rapidly. Not knowing what to do, Harry just hugged her as she sobbed and rubbed her back. Ginny, Ron and Hermione joined them and tried to console her.

Mrs Weasley was soon dry, and she smiled at all three of them before saying "Thanks. I needed to have a good cry. Now don't worry about me and get on with what you were doing." Harry suddenly remembered what Professor Dumbledore had said to him at 'King's Cross' so he told Mrs Weasley "Professor Dumbledore once told me to pity those who lived without love, not those who were dead. Just imagine how happy Fred must be, now that he has joined the original Marauders. My dad, Sirius, Lupin and Fred must be giving everyone hell" said Harry with a smile on his face.

This brought smiles back to everyone's face but they were surprised to hear George's voice from behind them saying "Thanks Harry. I think I know what I'm going to do. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is going to be the first shop open on Diagon Alley. It's what Fred would have wanted" replied George, a determined look on his face.

Ginny looked at her brother smiled then gave him a tight hug before saying "That's the spirit brother. And don't worry, we'll all help"

Soon, Mr Weasley's head poked out of the door, announcing that the coffin had arrived and the funeral was going to start. It was going to be a small service, just family and a few of the Order.

As Fred's body was lowered into the grave, George rushed forward and began to sob "Freddie, we were supposed to die together. How could you die before me?" Before he could get hysterical, Bill and Charlie were on either side of him offering words of comfort. A surprise attendee was Angelina Johnson, who had tears in her eyes as she got up from her seat to take the crying George into her arms. Once George was okay to speak, he got up and said "Fred would have loved this attention you know" This got a few laughs from the assembled. He continued "But he wouldn't have wanted us to cry. We always tried to make everyone laugh, even in the darkest of times. So I say to everyone here, instead of crying over Fred, let's all make more time to just joke around." As he finished, George dissolved into tears and his mother rushed to wrap her arms around him. The dirt was lowered into Fred's grave, and a headstone placed that said _Gred Weasley _before George got up and with the help of Lee Jordan, set off a brilliant display of fireworks that's had everything form a huge W to the words Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Gred: Live Long.

When the display was over, everyone paraded back into the Weasley home for the excellent dinner that had been made by Mrs Weasley. Ginny had been crying into Harry's shoulder for the whole funeral, and as everybody discussed their favourite Fred pranks, it got a smile back on Ron's and Ginny's faces. Harry and Hermione caught each other's eyes and both of them smiled in the knowledge that maybe, just maybe this family could return to normal even after suffering such a great loss. As Harry and Ron headed up to the attic at night everyone was feeling much better thanks to George's constant jokes. They were looking to the rest of their lives, and as Ron told Harry a story about how Fred had almost made him make an Unbreakable Vow, he thought that things were already getting better. He had a loving family, a beautiful girlfriend, two of the best friends he could ever ask for, and a summer to spend doing whatever he wanted. Harry could not wait for the fun to begin.

A/N: This is probably the worst chapter I've written so far. I'm so sorry, but I just cannot put grief into words. So please review, and tell me how to improve this, so maybe I'll edit it sometime. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 7

The mood at the Burrow for the next week was sombre, but to everyone's surprise, George was doing much better than anyone expected. He was the life and soul of the family and as they attended the funerals of Remus, Tonks, Colin and Snape. Many tears were shed, but there a lot of laughs as well while everyone remembered fond memories of the four. The number of people at Snape's funeral was very few, but Harry was pleased that he was at least getting buried in the same graveyard as the woman he loved.

They met Andromeda at Remus' and Tonks funeral, and Harry was pleasantly surprised to see that his godson immediately recognised him. When he was holding him, Ginny came up behind him and Teddy immediately went to grab a fistful of her long, red hair. All the girls were cooing at the scene, while all the guys were laughing without restraint. These small moments of joy made the pain of losing loved ones much easier to deal with.

There were many classmates that Harry knew at Colin's funeral, and none of them had a single bad thing to say about Colin. His unending enthusiasm for life and his bravery were just among a few things mentioned during his funeral. Dennis sobbed into Ginny's shoulder, who Colin had been in the same year with, as she muttered a few words of consolation in his ear.

After the funerals had been completed, life at the Burrow settled into a comfortable routine. Harry, Hermione and Ginny spent most of their time at home, where Ginny studied for her sixth year exams, which according to Hermione, helped her revise all her work as well. Ron and Harry spent most of their time at his store, which had been wrecked by Death Eaters. George was extremely enthusiastic and tried to keep a cheerful demeanour, but it was blatantly obvious that returning to work had been hard for him. Harry and Ron tried to help him with that, and so did Verity once she had been contacted and had agreed to continue working at the store.

There was a change in all this two weeks after they had returned from the Burrow, when Hermione, Harry and Ron decided to go to Grimmauld Place to pick up the stuff they had left while they were hiding there. Ginny had naturally decided to follow, but not after her mother had given them a long lecture about being safe. Aware of her feelings about losing children, Ginny had not said anything about being old enough, but had given her a hug before assuring that they would be back before dinner.

With that Harry side- along apparated Ginny to Grimmauld Place, with Ron and Hermione following close behind. They entered the place, expecting to be greeted by the dust cloud, but were instead pleasantly surprised to find that the curse had been removed, and the place looked extremely cleaned. As the four of them walked around, gathering all their belongings they saw that although the place was still dark and dingy, it was so clean that Mrs Weasley would be impressed. Harry had a suspicion as to who was behind this, so he immediately called "Kreacher".

With a pop, the old house elf apparated into the kitchen where Hermione and Ginny were putting their stuff into the empty bag they had brought with them.

"Master Harry called?" asked the elf with a bow, the tip of his nose almost touching the floor.

"Yes Kreacher. Did you do clean the house? It looks amazing!" exclaimed Harry.

"Yes Master Harry. Kreacher knew Master Harry owns this house and Kreacher knew Master Harry and his friends did not like it when they were living here. So Kreacher cleaned the place. Kreacher is now designing plans to make this house better" replied the house elf with another bow.

"Thank you Kreacher. With a bit of work, this place might actually be liveable. So what do you say Ron, once our girls go back to Hogwarts, you want to move in here with me? You don't intend to live at your parents place forever do you?" asked Harry, putting a brotherly arm around Ron's shoulder.

"That's brilliant Harry. Though we should take a look at what Kreacher has planned for the place first" replied Ron.

"Of course Mr Wheezy. Please wait here, Kreacher will bring the plans and tea for Master Harry and his friends" said Kreacher before disappearing with a pop.

Once the elf had returned, Harry, Ron Hermione and Ginny sat down to discuss Kreacher's plans about the house, which they had found were extremely thorough. Harry and Ron just sat and listened while Hermione and Ginny talked to Kreacher about how Ron and maybe George moving in would affect his plans. Harry was going to take Sirius' old room, while Ron and George were going to take two of the other rooms.

"Hey Kreacher, how would you like to take Regulus' old room" asked Hermione once they were done planning.

"If Maser Harry wishes, Kreacher would be most happy to take Master Regulus' old room" replied Kreacher with a bow, his voice cracking up with emotion.

"Of course Kreacher. It's better than living under that heater." Replied Harry before standing up, indicating that it was time to go.

"Goodbye Master Harry. Kreacher will have the house ready on September first. Said Kreacher as he showed the foursome out the door.

As Harry into the Burrow, he was welcomed home by somebody he had never expected to see. Fawkes was perched on his shoulder now, singing happily.

"Hey, that's Dumbledore phoenix, innit?" exclaimed Ron.

"Yes it is. Looks like I really won it's loyalty and he has become mine now that Dumbledore is gone" replied Harry, he and Ginny softly stroking his feathers.

"That's true. Fawkes just came here with a letter for you" said Mrs Weasley as she entered the sitting room, holding an envelope in her hand.

As Harry took the letter, he saw that it had the Hogwarts' seal on it, and he wondered why he was getting an official letter from Hogwarts when he knew so many of the staff so well. When Harry tore open the envelope, it read:

_Dear Mr Harry Potter,_

_After hearing about you teaching Dumbledore's Army during your fifth year, we her at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would like to offer you an opportunity to give weekly lectures to the Defence Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T students. This will be on a trial basis for one year._

_We are also offering you the chance to bring along Mr Ronald Weasley, who could assist you during the lectures, and do some of the lectures himself. We have attached the course aims on the next piece of parchment, and Mr Weasley and you may like to discuss these with Professor Bill Weasley at your own convenience._

_Awaiting your quick response,_

_Minerva M. McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_P.S If you have not realised by now, Fawkes has shown his loyalty to you now, and Dumbledore always used him to send letters in place of an owl. When he realised I was sending a letter to you, he immediately volunteered for the job. If you want him, you can keep him or send him back to Hogwarts._

When he reached the end of the letter, Harry had a smile on his face, and so did Ginny, Ron and Hermione who were reading it over Harry's shoulder.

"So what do you reckon mate, you up to being a part- time professor while being an Auror?" asked Harry.

"Definitely. I'll scrub the Hogwarts toilets every week if it means seeing Hermione" he replied, putting an arm around his now blushing girlfriend, who gave him a kiss for his reply. Harry smiled at his two best friends, before going to grab a quill and some parchment and penning a reply and attaching it to Fawkes, who nipped his finger affectionately before flying off.

"Speaking of Hermione, aren't you planning to go retrieve your parents soon?" asked Ginny as the foursome headed towards the kitchen, where the food had already been set u and George was waiting for them to join him.

"Of course I do. I already asked Kingsley at Hogwarts if he could help locate my parents, and I expect he will give me an answer when he comes to give Harry and Ron their Auror manuals" replied Hermione before sitting down on the table and helping herself to dinner.

"Will you be going alone?" asked Mrs Weasley, ready to burst out angrily if the reply was affirmative.

"Don't worry Mrs Weasley. An obliviator from the Australian Ministry of Magic will be accompanying me when I go to reverse the charm, and I've been reading up on it all week. Thereafter, my parents will be with me and we'll be flying back in an airplane" replied Hermione with a smile.

"What about me? I'm coming with you!" exclaimed Ron.

"No you can't. I don't think telling my parents I have a boyfriend when I still have to tell them the other stuff is wise. Besides, I want to spend some time with them alone and you and Harry will be busy with Auror training" she replied apologetically. Ron did not argue with her, but the frown never left his face all through dinner.

Hermione's prediction about Kingsley coming to give her news about her parents came true the very next day when Mr Weasley arrived with the now permanent Minister of Magic beside him. Kingsley was carrying with him a quite a big duffel bag, which Harry suspected might contain the stuff needed for Auror training. Unlike his meetings with previous Ministers, Harry was actually looking forward to this one as Kingsley sat down at the dinner table and took out from under him, two huge piles of books. Seeing the sheer number of books, Harry and Ron gasped while Hermione squealed with delight. The rest, including Ginny, just laughed at the trio's reactions.

"So, these are all the books that the Aurors study in their first three years of training. Since the three of you are going straight onto being Aurors, you're going to cover most of during this summer. Seeing the looks on your faces, you don't seem very pleased. Why?"

Ron voiced Harry's thoughts by saying "No offence to you, and I hope you don't send me to Azkaban for saying this, but are you barking mad?"

Kingsley just laughed at him before replying "If I send a beloved war hero and according to _Witch Weekly_, the most desirable wizard after Harry to Azkaban, I'll be fired tomorrow. But you have no reason to worry. More than half of these books contain stuff about advanced defence, and while there is some stuff about laws and potions, I hope your brilliant girlfriend will be able to help you with that"

He handed Harry and Ron the pile of books, and Ron's pile was immediately snatched by Hermione who began to read the book at the top of the pile. Ron just smiled at this, then focused his attention on Kingsley, whose face had turned a little grim.

"I have some bad news" he said as he handed Ron and Harry their Auror robes. "The other Aurors, especially Gawain and Dawlish are unhappy that I've allowed you two to become full Aurors without NEWTs or training. We had to come to a compromise, and the two of you will be taking a test on the first day." Seeing the worried looks on the two young wizards' faces, he continued "Now, I can't tell you exactly what the test consists of, but I think the two of you can pass that test right now"

At that, Harry and Ron heaved a sigh of relief until Kingsley handed the two of them oddly shaped wallets. "These are your Auror badges. Right now, they say Junior Auror, but once you pass the test, it'll change to Auror. This also gives you permission to attack and bind someone legally, just in case you get attacked this summer."

Harry and Ron nodded their heads grimly, knowing the Death Eaters were still out there and Harry was still "Undesirable Number One" among that group, whatever _Witch Weekly _may say.

"Last but not least, Harry, Gringotts really needs to speak to you, so I advise you visit them as soon as possible" said Kingsley

"Alright" replied Harry, still inwardly curious about what the goblins wanted with him if not to charge him for breaking into their bank.

They are happily living in Sydney now, having established their own dental practice there. I can get the portkey set up for you anytime, all you have to do is pop in at the Ministry to sign the paperwork. And while you do that, you may want to bring your boyfriend and his best friends to take their apparition tests, since you two have been apparating all over the place illegally" said Kingsley.

Harry and Ron just nodded sheepishly at that before Hermione replied to Kingsley "How about we get the portkey set up for day after tomorrow. We'll come to the Ministry tomorrow before going to Diagon Alley with Harry. I want my parents back as soon as possible, and I really hope it doesn't take much to reverse the spell"

"Very well then. I'll see you four tomorrow" said Kingsley as he finished his dinner and stood up to leave with Mr Weasley seeing him out.

"Um, Mum, if you don't mind, Harry and I have something to ask you" stuttered Ron.

"What?"

"Well, we were thinking, after going to Grimmauld Place yesterday, that Harry and I could move in there once Ginny and Hermione left for Hogwarts."

Mrs Weasley looked shell- shocked for the moment, but after her husband had placed a hand on her shoulder she replied "Very well. I know Kreacher will be cooking for you, but I expect the two of you home at least for Sunday dinners, alright?"

"Yes Mum"

"Of course, Mrs Weasley"

The four kids then stood up to give her a hug, before they split up to have their private goodbyes.

Harry and Ginny stood outside Ginny's room as he kissed her goodnight passionately. When they broke apart, Ginny said "All set for training, Auror Potter?" asked Ginny.

"Of course"

"Well, I hope you don't forget about putting aside some you and me time" said Ginny seductively, placing a hand on Harry's chest.

Harry gulped before saying, "Ginny, whatever I do, there'll always be time for you in my life"

With a final kiss, Ginny entered her room, closing the door behind her.

While Ginny and Harry were having their private goodbyes, Ron and Hermione were outside Ron's room, where he was whining about not getting to spend enough time with her.

'It's ok Ron. I'll be here to study with Ginny, I just won't be staying here. I love you, so there's no need to worry". She then planted a huge kiss on Ron's lips, which he returned with enough vigour.

"I love you too Hermione" he said before going to his room.

Harry and Hermione shared a hug while they were on their way to their rooms, and as Harry lay there on his bed in Ron's room, he couldn't wait to start his life as an Auror.


	9. Chapter 8

The next few days were a flurry of activity at the Burrow as Hermione prepared for her trip to Australia. Always the organised one, she was going a little crazy about whether she had packed everything or not and Ron had to literally drag her out of her room for breakfast as the four of them were going to the Ministry and then to Diagon Alley. Mrs Weasley once again fussed over them, tell them to be safe and wary of their surroundings. When Ron quipped about there being two Aurors with them for protection, Mrs Weasley started screaming at him and it took her husband quite a while to calm her down.

Once the group had finished breakfast and Mrs Weasley was satisfied that they could look after themselves, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Mr Weasley flooed to the Ministry where they appeared in the Atrium. Harry was trying to get to the lifts as inconspicuously as possible but soon enough, he was noticed by someone and shouts of "Harry Potter!" went around the atrium and the five of them were suddenly surrounded by people wanting to congratulate him and reporters wanting to ask questions. Mr Weasley was trying to ward off the reporters, while Harry just kept his hand outstretched to try and shake the hand of as many people as possible.

By the time the group got to the lift, it had been ten minutes since they stepped into the Atrium. Mr Weasley decided to bring Hermione and Ginny with himself to the Portkey Office in the Department of Magical Transportation while Harry and Ron went to the Apparition Test Centre in the same department.

On the way there, Harry asked something that had popped into his head whilst they were getting mobbed in the Atrium. "So, Ron how was your first experience with fame?"

"Uh well… Look mate, I always was jealous that I was just the friend of the famous Harry Potter, but now that I'm famous too, it's not all what it seems" replied Ron sheepishly.

"Good for you, mate" said Harry, clapping his back as they entered the test centre.

"Good morning. Names, please" asked the witch at the entrance

"Ron Weasley and Harry Potter" Upon hearing their names, the witch looked up with a jerk, dropped her quill on the floor and her ink on her parchment as she was fumbling around. After she was done cleaning up, she looked at the two heroes with a red face before leading them inside to take their tests.

Once the two of them had successfully apparated and the witch made their licenses, albeit with more confidence than before, the two of them walked to the portkey office to see if Hermione was done with her paperwork so they could apparate to Diagon Alley.

Once they saw that Hermione was done with her paperwork, the four of them went back to the Atrium and flooed to George's shop. Brushing of the soot, they were met at the fireplace by none other than Angelina Johnson.

"Hey Angelina, what are you doing here?" asked Harry.

'Harry!" she exclaimed when she saw him and ran up to give him a hug before saying "George asked me to work at the store with him a few days ago. I didn't have a job yet so I agreed."

As she was saying that, George walked into the back and welcomed them before asking, "What brings you to Diagon Alley? I didn't need your help today"

"We're not here to work at your store. Harry has some business at Gringotts" replied Ron.

"Oooh sounds serious. Are the goblins pissed because you stole their dragon?" joked George.

'No, Bill assured Harry it's not that" replied Hermione.

"Still sounds serious. Better get going then, I've got some business with Angelina so show yourselves out and come back here when you're done to floo back home" quipped George.

'I'm sure you have business with Angelina, Georgie" said Ginny with a wink as they exited the shop. George face turned as red as his hair before he saluted Ginny and gave her a wink as well.

As the foursome made their way to the bank they looked around Diagon Alley to see that it was almost back to its former glory, and all the wonder it held to Harry on his first visit her was still there.

As the entered the bank, the two goblins at the door bowed deeply, recognising who they were. The sounds of the goblins working softened as all of them looked up from their work to look at the four heroes. Harry could feel many eyes watch him as he walked towards the counter. But before he could reach there however, an elderly Goblin approached him.

"It is such an honour to meet you, Mr Potter, how may he bank be of service to you and you friends?"

"I've been asked to come in to discuss my account. I'm not sure why, though"

"Ah yes. Although I'm afraid your friends will have to wait in the lounge. Bank regulations, you see."

"We'll wait in the lounge for you Harry" Said Hermione before lowering her gaze to look at the goblin "Sir, we would like to apologise for any trouble that we caused you during our recent break- in. If there is anything we can do for the bank, please don't hesitate to ask"

"You are very kind, miss. I have to admit that the goblins were not pleased after your break- in, but after talking to your Goblin Liaison Officer and the Minister himself, we understood the circumstances better and decided to not to charge the three of you"

"Thank you" said Ron on behalf of all three of them, a tone of relief evident in his voice.

"Shall we go then" said the goblin pointing Harry towards a door on the right of the counter where he would usually go. Harry nodded his response before kissing Ginny goodbye and following the goblin to the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another goblin leading his three companions to the lounge.

Once inside the room, Harry saw that the walls were lined with many filing cabinets that contained many stacks of parchment. There was a similar stack of parchment placed on the circular table in the centre of the room, where the goblin led Harry to and they both took a seat before the goblin began.

"As you know Mr Potter, you inherited the full will of your parents when you came of age…"

"I didn't know that" replied Harry, surprised. "I thought all the gold I had was in Vault 687"

"Oh that is not true. In case of untimely deaths, it is normal for rich wizarding families to not allow their children to use their full inheritances until they come of age. Your parents arranged such a thing with the bank, and the amount of gold in your current vault is just the amount your parents saw fit to give you until you came of age"

"So how much money do I really have?" asked Harry, a little bit apprehensive.

"Well, the Potter's were a fairly rich family, so the amount of gold in your family's vault is about 7 million Galleons. However, the Potters did not own much in the name of properties, so apart from the house in Godric's Hollow and the Potter Estate there are no properties you own."

"Do you know the condition of the Potter Estate?" asked Harry, thinking about how wonderful it would be to live there with Ginny after she graduated.

"Yes sir. Your parents put a freezing charm of it before they went to Godric's Hollow, so it should be how they left it"

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes sir. Your parents also left you the Potter family jewels, and their engagement and marriage rings"

Upon hearing that, all sorts of images of him proposing to Ginny flew through his mind, but he put them aside to consider at a later time and replied "That's great!"

"Now, moving on to the Black inheritance which was left to you by your godfather Sirius Black. The Blacks were extremely rich, and the gold in that vault amounts to 25 million Galleons" Harry was left dumbfounded upon hearing the amount, and could not think of what he wanted to do with all the gold until he got a brilliant idea that left him wondering about all sorts of possibilities.

The goblin continued "Besides, the gold the Blacks also own a number of buildings on Diagon Alley and a number of properties around Britain. They also a number of artefacts, which have been kept safe in the vault. All the information you need will be in these folders. Now, sir would you like to make any transactions right now?"

Harry thought for a while before answering "Please combine all the money in the two vaults into one. Then, I would like to put my current vault into Teddy Lupin's name and Andromeda Tonks should be allowed to withdraw from it. Then, please create three new vaults in the names of Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley and transfer a hundred thousand galleons to each of those three vaults. Please transfer another one hundred thousand to the vault of Arthur and Molly Weasley. All artefacts should be checked for dark curses and if they are dark, dispose of them accordingly. Right now I would like to make a withdrawal of hundred galleons, and would like to take a look at my family vault now, if possible"

The goblin, who was taking notes of everything Harry said looked up and replied "Certainly sir" before leading him behind the counter where they awaited the cart that would bring them to his family vault.

After a very fast and bumpy ride, they arrived at vault number 687 where the goblin informed Harry that all the changes had already been made. When Harry went inside, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the vault was much bigger, and besides the pile of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts there was a small table which had 3 large jewellery boxes and one small one. Harry opened the small one first, as he suspected it contained his parents' ring. Inside, he saw a note a instead of three, there were four rings. The note read:

_Dear Harry,_

_If you are reading this, what we have been fearing has happened. We just hope we were able to save you. Now, inside these boxes you will find the Potter family jewels, which you can give to anyone you desire, but please make sure that in their last will and they return them to the Potters. In this box, you will find the promise ring your father gave me as a sign of his love for me, my engagement ring and our wedding rings._

_If we are not here to tell you this, just know that your father and I love you, son._

_Love,_

_Mum_

Harry had tears in his eyes as he finished reading the letter, and thinking about his mum and dad he realised he needed to go to Godric's Hollow soon. Picking up the boxes of jewellery, he headed out where the goblin was waiting for him with his money bag. They headed out of the vault, and the goblin handed Harry his key back before they endured another excruciatingly bumpy ride back to ground level where Harry met up with Ron, Ginny and Hermione.

'So, what happened Harry? Anything wrong with your vault?" asked Hermione.

"No it's much better actually. Here, look" he replied as he handed Hermione the transaction summary page out of the file. As she quickly read through its contents, she gasped at the amount.

"Blimey Harry! I knew you were rich… but this is just incredulous!" said Ron.

"Yes it is. Which is my I've decided to spread the money around a little. You three are now the proud owners of Gringotts vaults already containing a hundred thousand galleons" said Harry with a smirk.

All of them gasped, and then Ginny leapt into his arms to give him a huge kiss which he returned with equal fervour and enthusiasm. They broke apart after a full minute before his two best friends leapt at him at the same time, almost knocking him over.

"This is too much Harry…" began Hermione, but before she could complete, Harry had cut her off and said "Don't even start. You two have done more than all the Galleons in Gringotts could repay. You risked your life to help me. I can't thank you enough"

"Well, thanks mate" replied Ron, red in the face.

"Reckon we should start paying rent now" said Harry trying to lighten the mood. All of them laughed before he continued "I'm not done giving back. I will be asking your mum to organise sort of a party for all the Weasley family once Hermione comes back from Australia and I want to give all you something. I've got a plan and reckon we should invite Neville and Luna as well"

"You've given enough Harry" said Ginny, putting and adoring hand on her boyfriend's cheek.

"No. what's amazing is what everybody's done for me. You guys gave me something I thought I would never have. A family. And if you want, invite your parent Hermione"

"I'll ask them. Thanks again"

As Harry walked back into the Burrow, a plan had already formulated in his mind about just how he was going to give back. Life just got a whole lot better.


	10. Chapter 9

Hermione had left the next morning after a lengthy round of goodbyes which included constant reminders from Mrs Weasley to be careful and many long kisses with Ron. Ron had been persisting with her until the very last moment to let him go with her, but he had finally relented when Hermione promised him she would spend extra time with him when she got back and also introduce him to her parents. Hermione had actually almost relented and agreed to let him come with her, but she knew that if her parents found out about both her using magic on them without permission and that she had a new boyfriend, their anger would be ten times worse. So with a heavy heart and a final goodbye kiss for Ron, she left for the Ministry to take the portkey to Australia.

Harry and Ron knew that they would have to start on their Auror training as soon as possible, so once Hermione had left, and Harry had consoled Ron about her finding another man in Australia during breakfast they took out the large pile of books and got started on reading the first one, which was the thickest and was the size of Hogwarts, a History, taking up almost half the pile. The rest of the books were much smaller, which Harry guessed taught about laws, interrogation, concealment and worst of all, potions.

However, they soon found out that Kingsley had been right. Along with all the stuff Hermione had taught them in the way of charms, and Ron and her helping Harry practice for the TriWizard tournament, they knew most of the stuff in the first book already. However, there were quite a couple of new spells, like the Anti- Apparition Jinx and many types of advanced shields. After a few hours of reading, Ron suggested, "You want to try out some of these new spells? They are pretty cool"

"Sure. What do you suggest?" asked Harry, since he was clearly getting bored of all the reading. They had gotten a quarter of the huge book done with and Harry thought it was time for some practical application.

"A duel" said Ron simply. "Ginny can make sure none of us get hurt". Ginny looked, up hearing her name and asked what was going on. Apparently, she had been too engrossed in studying for her exams that she had not heard the conversation. After Harry had filled her in she looked apprehensive but said "You think Mum will allow?"

"If we say it's for Auror training and you are being sort of a referee, I don't think she will mind" countered Ron, eager to finally get a chance to have a duel where their lives were not at stake.

"Let's go ask her" said Harry, before helping Ginny up and walking towards the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was working on lunch.

"Mum, is it okay if Harry and I have a few mock duels out in the yard?" asked Ron apprehensively. "We've read about the spells and want to practise. We promise to be careful and Ginny will be there to break things up if things get too rough"

Mr Weasley looked t the three of them for a few moments, and then with a resigned huff she replied "Very well. But please be careful. I don't even understand why the two of you want to be Aurors."

"Mum, can you just imagine Harry or me sitting at a Ministry desk?" asked Ron with a mischievous grin.

Mrs Weasley had to try and keep her serious demeanour, but they knew Ron had gotten through to her. She started showing them out the door into the yard telling them to be back in time for lunch.

"Like we would miss your lunches" replied Harry, showing her a thumbs up, hoping it would assure her that they would be safe.

Once outside, Harry and Ron took out their wands before Ron said "I reckon we should test out some of those new shields first. I'll put up a shield, you try to blast past it with _Reducto_. How's that?"

"Yeah ok" replied Harry "But we have to make sure all spells we do are non- verbal. Can't let the enemy know what they are dealing with"

That being said, Ron put up his shield and Harry got into position before thinking _Reducto. _What happened next amazed him. As the spell hit the shield, instead of blocking it, it was blown to pieces and Ron was thrown back several feet before he landed on his bottom with a thud. While Ginny went to make sure that Ron was ok, Harry just stood there, speechless. He had never been able to achieve that much power with a _Reducto_ spell before, and definitely not with an advanced shield infront of him.

Ron's groan of pain snapped him back to reality as he headed over and pulled Ron up before saying "You alright, mate? Sorry about that. I've never been able to achieve that much power with a non- verbal, you know"

"Yeah I'm fine" replied Ron, dusting himself off. "But how the bloody hell did you manage to blow apart that shield? The manual said it would take quite a few hits from a very powerful wizard to do that"

"I know. You reckon it could be because Voldemort's soul in no longer in me?" asked Harry, bewildered by the sudden increase in his powers.

"Only one way to find out. See if you can speak Parseltongue. If you can't his soul is gone for real. I reckon it could not have been good carrying around all that dark magic in you. It probably hindered your powers a little bit" replied Ginny, thinking hard. With Hermione not around, Harry and Ron had to rely on her for academic guidance, because as Harry had found out earlier, she had gotten O's and E's in all her OWLs except Divination and History of Magic.

Thinking it may be a good way to confirm if there was any part of Voldemort left in him, Harry pictured a snake in front of him and tried to talk to it. Since Harry could never tell if he was speaking Parseltongue or not, Ron tod him "That was English, mate"

"Let me try again" Harry replied before repeating the same process. But instead of the hissing sounds, all that came out was normal English.

"Looks like we've gotten rid of Riddle once and for all" said Ron, looking deliriously happy.

"So you're the only one in the world who can speak Parseltongue mate" said Harry smugly. Ron's grin suddenly disappeared but before he could come up with a witty reply, Ginny intervened and said "What do you mean Ron can speak Parseltongue?"

Realising her confusion, Harry replied "Ron heard me speak Parseltongue to open the locket before he stabbed it. He then used it to open the Chamber of Secrets so we could get basilisk fangs to destroy the cup"

"Oh. I hope they seal up the chamber when they are doing the repairs" said Ginny with a shudder.

"Getting back to the point, it looks like the power of your spells is much higher now. If I practise with you for theses few months, I don't think I'll have any problem with the Aurors" said Ron with a laugh.

Harry just gave one of his customary shrugs before motioning for Ron to get back into duelling position. As the two best friends duelled, Harry started to notice that it was much easier for him to cast spells and even if he used minimal power, the effect was better than expected. Harry felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from chest. As they continued to duel, Ron began to adapt to Harry's new abilities and along with his shield and counter- attacking spells, he began to throw the many rocks that littered the yard in the way of incoming spells. Harry gave him a thumbs up for that and after a while, Ginny broke them up.

"That's was some duelling mate" said Ron, panting.

"If you two keep this up, I don't think you'll have any problem with the Aurors" praised Ginny, before giving Harry a heartfelt kiss and Ron a huge hug.

"When did you two get so good" came a voice from behind them. When they turned around, they saw Mrs Weasley standing there, a look of admiration and pride on her face.

"We've been duelling Death Eaters for at least the past three years Mum. And the last nine months on the run gave us plenty of time to practise. Besides, almost everyone in the DA is this good" replied Ron with an impish grin.

"And here I was thinking I could persuade you two to not join the Aurors said Mrs Weasley with a sigh, leading them inside for dinner.

"Do you not want Ron and me to join the Aurors?" asked Harry. Although he really wanted to fulfil his ambition, Harry did not want to do anything to upset Mrs Weasley.

"I just think it's too dangerous. You're only boys after all" replied Mrs Weasley, a concerned expression on her face as she ladled out onion soup.

"Mum, you have to understand that Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped being kids a long time ago. They grew up too fast" replied Ginny, smiling.

"Alas, I'm afraid so. Well, as long as you keep up with your training and be careful…" she trailed off.

While he ate his lunch, Harry had let his mind wander to the party he had wanted to organise for everyone. He had a preliminary plan in his mind, but first, he needed Mrs Weasley's approval.

"Mrs Weasley, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, dear what is it?" she replied, curious as to what Harry wanted.

"Would it be ok to organise a sort of party at The Burrow once Hermione gets back? I have something to give all of you for helping me throughout the years" asked Harry sheepishly.

"Don't be silly Harry. You don't have to give us anything. Arthur already told me about what you did with Ron's, Ginny's, Hermione's and our vaults."

"I know. But I want to have sort of a gathering to thank all of you" pleaded Harry. He had indeed had a talk with Mr Weasley about the money he had transferred to his vault, but after some persuasion on Harry's part, he had reluctantly agreed to take it, but not before thanking him profusely.

"Very well Harry. I'll call the whole family over."

"Would it be ok to invite Neville and Luna as well?" asked Harry, elated at the fact that his plan was coming along nicely.

"Of course dear. Now if you're finished with your lunch, how about the three of you wash up and go play some Quidditch in the yard."

"Great idea, Mum" said Ginny, running out to grab her broomstick. The boys gave chase, and the three of them were soon flying around the yard, passing around the battered quaffle. Ginny was easily the best chaser and it could be seen that she was literally flying circles around them. Wanting to have some fun with her, Harry threw the quaffle straight at the ground before shouting o Ginny below him "If you're so good, catch it!"

Ginny just took off without a word after the quaffle, and caught it almost vertically about twenty metres above the ground. However, as she caught the quaffle, her grip slipped and she did a front flip while falling off the broom

Harry reacted instinctively, and not even bothering to take out his wand, suck out his right arm and yelled "ARRESTO MOMENTO". As Harry realised his mistake, his fear turned to shock as Ginny slowed down and hit the floor with a soft thud. Harry sped down towards his girlfriend, but he was worried for no reason as she was already up on her feet and smiling. Ron was standing beside her, open- mouthed and wide eyed.

"Did you just perform wandless magic, ate?" asked Ron, bewildered.

"I guess" replied Harry as calmly as possible, though inwardly he was extremely shocked. "Are you ok Ginny?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you. How many times is it you've saved my life now?" she asked before leaning in to give him a kiss. She could feel the relief flow from Harry as they kissed, before they were rudely interrupted by Ron shouting "Oi, stop snogging you two. We have much important matters to discuss" Harry and Ginny broke apart reluctantly and Ginny just glared at Ron while he and Harry discussed how and why he was able to perform wandless magic.

"Why don't you just try a simple levitating charm?" interrupted Ginny. Ron and Harry just stared at her, both of them wondering why they hadn't thought of that. Harry, sticking out his right arm at one of the broomsticks on the floor, shouted "Wingardium Leviosa!" and to Harry's bewilderment, the broomstick slowly floated upwards before it started to twitch in the air and fell onto the floor. Since both Ginny and Ron were watching the broom, none of them had noticed, that a few seconds after Harry had done the spell, he had begun to feel light- headed and had needed let go of the spell before falling onto one knee, panting loudly.

When they saw what had happened, Ginny rushed to his side to help him up, while Ron looked worried.

"I don't think I can do a lot of wandless magic. I was able to perform the Cushioning Charm because Ginny was in danger. My power may have increased, but I think it's best if I use a wand, unless it's an emergency" said Harry, still breathless.

"I agree completely" came a voice from ahead of them, and they were surprised to see Mr Weasley walking up towards them. "I saw the whole thing Harry, but wandless magic is not something even Dumbledore did very frequently. So I suggest you use a wand. And you might want to have a talk with Dumbledore sometime in the future about your advanced capabilities. I know you are training, but be careful and don't use too much power"

"I won't Mr Weasley. I know a lot about wizards who misused their powers, and I'm not about to follow in their footsteps" replied Harry.

"That's good to hear" said Mr Weasley, a smile reappearing on his face. "Now come on, dinner will be served soon. I managed to get released early today since Kingsley has been working so hard. While Molly prepares dinner, the two of you can tell me all about your Auror training"

As Ron began to narrate all that had happened on this very exciting day, Harry began to think of all the possibilities that were now open to him. He could do a lot of good in the world. But a small part of his mind was warning him not to get too ahead of himself, and that he had much to learn. But all in all, Harry felt as if the ghost of Voldemort that had been following him around for his entire life had been lifted, and he felt much lighter. He was free to do whatever he wanted, and not something he had to do because of a prophecy. The path ahead was uncertain, but the possibilities were endless, and Harry looked forward to facing all the challenges ahead with courage, faith and hope.


	11. Chapter 10

The next week passed with Harry and Ron continuing with their Auror training. The two of them were getting much better now that they were getting some proper training. Now that their lives or the fate of the world did not depend on the winning or losing a duel with a Death Eater, both Harry and Ron were finding duelling much more fun, and were picking up new information from the books much faster. Ron who had always doubted himself was now getting much more confident of his skills, although Harry won most of their duels. Neither of them liked the reading part of the training, and potions still boggled both of them, but all in all, their skills had improved dramatically.

Ginny on the other hand spent most of her time either out in the yard practising her Quidditch while the boys duelled, or inside studying with them. She made sure Harry and her got to spend some alone time together, which most of the time involved a lot of snogging, but she had started to realise that Harry had something on his mind. It did not seem to be bothering him, but that thing certainly kept him busy as he took frequent trips to Diagon Alley and George told her that whenever Harry came to help at the store, he was spending more time out of the store than in. Her father had also told her that he had seen Harry at the Ministry once or twice. Ginny suspected that what Harry was doing had something to do with the party he was planning, but decided not to say anything about it.

Harry was indeed planning for the party he wanted to throw. Once he had gotten the nod from Mrs Weasley, he had made a list of things he had to buy and do to get ready for the party. Teddy and Andromeda had also been added to the guest list. He then started to contact the people who would help him get the job done. All of them had been happy to help, and Harry had begun to see the perks of being famous, although the attention he got every time he visited Diagon Alley still bugged him.

It was now a week since he had started planning, and everything was almost set. All that was left was for Hermione to arrive. She had sent an owl from Australia a few days ago to say that her parents had been found and the charm had been reversed successfully. However, she wanted to spend a few days with her parents before she came to visit them at the Burrow. Apparently, they had not taken the news that Hermione had used magic on them very well, but after a few hours of discussion, they relented that it had been the best course of action for their safety. Ron had been a little disappointed that Hermione was going to be away, but had replied to her letter promptly

Finally, the day of the party arrived, and Harry was getting increasingly nervous about how it was going to go. Hermione arrived the day of the party, and after a particularly public, long and intimate welcome home kiss from Ron that literally lifted her off her feet, she hugged Ginny, Harry and Mrs Weasley. She was looking decidedly happier, and the first thing she wanted to do was see Harry and Ron duel. Ron had written to her about how their training was going, and she was decidedly excited to see them duel.

So after many remonstrations from Mrs Weasley to be careful, the foursome headed out to the yard. Hermione went to promptly stand beside her boyfriend, but Ginny pulled her about ten feet away.

"The duels can get increasingly violent. Those two may be best friends, but they are competitive as hell" said Ginny when Hermione asked her the reason for standing so far away. Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the two boys walk up to each other, bow and turn around to face each other, wands drawn, Ginny counted down to one and before Hermione knew it, both of them had blazing shields up and Harry was the first to go on the offensive as he started to throw a barrage of non- verbal spells at Ron's shield which was holding.

Ron soon started to go on the counter- offensive as the two best friends engaged in combat. Both had a determined expression on their faces, but the girls knew there was no danger involved. Both Ron and Harry were doing what they were best at and loved doing, and Hermione could see that now they were good at it. Hermione was immensely proud of Ron, who she knew had always been in Harry's shadow. Training together with him had done him a tonne of good, and she could see the confidence in his eyes as he matched everything Harry threw at him, and returned the favour.

After about fifteen minutes, Ginny and Hermione could see that their wizards were getting tired, and Ginny blew a whistle hanging from her neck to signify the end of the duel. Harry and Ron both lowered their shields, before walking towards each other for a hearty handshake.

"Nice going mate"

"You too"

As the two boys talked about the duel, Hermione literally ran up to them and engulfed them in a bear hug.

"You two have become so good!"

"Always the tone of surprise, Hermione" replied Ron, smirking, before the two of them were pulled in for a kiss by their girlfriends.

"So what do you guys want to do until everyone arrives for the party?" asked Ginny as they walked back towards the house.

"I'm going to stay go Grimmauld Place to get a few things ready for the party, if you don't mind" replied Harry.

"Can we come with you?" asked Hermione. "The suspense is killing me Harry. Can't you even give us a hint about what you are going to do?"

"No, I can't. It's a surprise Hermione, and I promise you will like it. Just wait a few more hours" replied Harry with a smile as they sat down at the kitchen table where the dishes had already been laid out and Mrs Weasley was scrutinising Harry and Ron from head to toe.

"Harry what's that on your arm?" asked Mrs Weasley, pointing to Harry's right arm, just below the shoulder where there was a large cut.

"I reckon one of the cutting hexes hit you" replied Ron.

"Get over here mister" said Ginny, motioning for Harry to let her examine his arm. She took out her wand, pointed it at the cut and mumbled a series of incantations which slowly healed the wound. Soon, all that was left was a pink scar, which would soon fade away.

"When did you get so good at healing" asked Hermione.

"With the way the Carrows and Slytherins were treating us last year, most of us were getting frequent injuries, and we weren't allowed to go to Madam Pomfrey. So some of the girls started to learn healing spells so we could treat the younger students"

"That's brilliant Ginny" said Harry, leaning in to kiss her. They kissed for a good minute before they were interrupted by Mrs Weasley clearing her throat. Ginny and Harry bushed red, and began to eat the lunch Mrs Weasley had put on their plates. While eating, Harry informed Mrs Weasley that he intended to go to Grimmauld Place for a while, and after assuring her to be back before the guests started to arrive in the late afternoon, he walked out to the backyard and disapparated.

Once he had landed inside at the doorstep of Grimmauld Place, he went into the library where a large number of packages had been place in the previous weeks by Kreacher Harry started to organise them, and sent them to Mr Weasley's workshop at the Burrow after putting an invisibility charm on them. He was done with this within an hour, and after having the tea and biscuits that Kreacher had prepared, he went to finish some last minute preparations for the party and was back at the burrow by four in the afternoon. He walked into the Burrow's living room to see all the Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Andromeda and Teddy waiting for him.

As he walked in, all of them looked up at him in anticipation and Ginny went to stand beside him. Harry had had a speech prepared for this moment, so he began

"Right, I organised this party for all of you to thank you for the help you have given me over the years. All of you have been my family, and now that the war is over, I would like to take this opportunity to give everyone here a few tokens for their help."

As Harry finished, there were murmurs of "There's no need to thank us" going around the room. But when Harry raised his wand, everyone stopped to see what he was about to do.

"I would like to start giving back right now. The wizarding world has been making me out to be a hero, but I do not think I could have defeated Riddle without tour help. So, I'll get started with a common gift for all of you. I know how much this family loves Quidditch, so if you will all go out into the backyard, you'll find the newly released Thunderbolts with your names on it"

As he said that, Ron was the first one out in the backyard, followed closely by the rest of the invitees. They were all soon marvelling the exquisite workmanship of the broomstick, and Ron was quoting _Quidditch Weekly_'s review of the new broom. There were a round of thank- you hugs for Harry and a highly enthusiastic kiss from Ginny, after which George quipped "Don't expect me to thank you like that, mate" and they all headed back into the living room.

"Next, I have a gift for all the ladies in this room. Ginny, Hermione, Fleur, Andromeda and Mrs Weasley, if you could all come here please." The ladies looked at each other quizzically, but made their way forward to where Harry had waved his wand to make a large chest and another smaller chest appear in the middle of the room.

"When I went to visit Gringotts a few days ago, I found out that other than gold, I had been left quite a number of jewels, both from Sirius and my parents. Andromeda, I would like for you to take all the jewels in the smaller chest, and don't worry, I've had Gringotts check them for dark curses. Hermione, Ginny, Fleur and Mrs Weasley, I would like for you two take the Potter family jewels in the larger chest and divide them among yourselves. I'm afraid I don't know much about women's fashion"

The five women stood open mouthed, and just stared at the two chests in front of them. Hermione was the first one to recover from the shock and spoke

"Harry, these are Potter family heirlooms. You can't just give them away.." But before she could finish, Harry interrupted and said "Hermione, there are no Potter women left, and I would rather some beautiful women wear the jewels instead of rotting in my vault. I only ask that in your final will and testament, you return them to the Potter family"

Hermione tried to find some loophole in his argument, but with a resigned sigh went to open the larger of the two chests. All the women stared open mouthed at the sheer number of jewels inside, and soon they were taking their pick of jewels. Andromeda on the other hand was looking through the Black jewels with a fond remembrance.

Once the jewels had been sorted, Harry once again got a long, heartfelt kiss from Ginny, and hugs and kisses on the cheeks. Hermione held on the longest, and whispered a thanks into his ear.

Harry continued "Now we move on to individual gifts. I'll start with the oldest. Mr Weasley, you have been a father figure to me these past years. I am extremely sorry Ron and I broke your Anglia, which is why if you go into your workshop now, you will find a red Chevrolet Corvette for you to drive or fly"

At this, Mr Weasley's eyes widened, and he ran to his workshop to look at the stunning car. Mrs Weasley just shook her head as her husband began to examine it from bonnet to boot. Once he was done, he came back inside and gave Harry a hug.

"Mrs Weasley, I know how much you like to cook, and I don't think there is a better cook in the entire wizarding world. So, in hopes that Ron and I can come over to enjoy your meals, you will find that your kitchen has been restocked with the best china and pots and pans I could find." Mrs Weasley's eyes welled up with tears, and she ran up to give Harry one of her bone crushing hugs before going to the kitchen to examine her new toys. Once she had returned, Harry continued

"Bill, you were there when we needed you the most, and you took us in. I don't even know how I can thank you for that. But I'm going to try, so here is your gift." Harry handed Bill a bag with the Hogwarts crest on it. When he opened it, he gasped, and took out three books from the bag.

"Harry, these are extremely rare. Wherever did you find them?"

"You have no idea what Flourish and Blotts is willing to do for the saviour of the wizarding world"

"Thanks mate" said Bill, reaching out to shake Harry's hand.

"Fleur, you took care of Ron, Hermione and me when we came to Shell Cottage, and gave us food and shelter. However, I could not think of a gift for you, until I had a brainwave. Fleur, would you please open the door?" said Harry with a knowing smile.

Fleur did as she was told, and standing outside the Burrow were Mr and Mrs Delacour, and Gabrielle. Fleur let out an extremely girlish squeal and soon, the four of them were engulfed in a huge hug and were chattering away in French. Fleur however broke away from them, and gave Harry a bone crushing hug and said "Zank you so much, 'Arry. Zis ees ze best gift ever!"

Harry noticed that Gabrielle was watching him closely, and when their eyes met, she gave him a seductive look and a wink. Harry blushed, and Ginny did not miss this encounter. She glared at Harry who gave her a sheepish look before clearing his throat to speak

"Charlie, you were a great help to me during our first year and all those business with Norbert, and although you didn't know it, you helped with the dragons during the TriWizard tournament as well. I've been hearing that after the past year's events, you want to move back to Britain, so here is your gift" said Harry, handing Charlie a large envelope.

When he opened it, he had a smile on his face as he read the parchments inside.

"What is it?" asked Mr Weasley.

"It's a letter from the dragon reserve in Wales. They've offered me a job!" he exclaimed, delighted. "Thanks Harry"

"Percy, I know we've had our differences, but you were one of the people who helped me settle in at Hogwarts. Besides, you came through in the end so, here" said Harry, handing him a small box. Inside were a few Muggle fountain pens. When Percy looked confused, Hermione explained to him how they worked and he muttered a small thanks to Harry, Percy was still not very comfortable with the fact that he betrayed his family, and not wanting to add to the awkwardness, Harry just smiled and moved on.

"George, you and Fred were awesome in all my years at Hogwarts. I reckon I could go on and on about you, but the fact that you made us laugh in such terrible times is an achievement in itself. So, here you go" Harry handed George two envelopes, with the twins' names written on them. As George opened the one with Fred's name, he struggled to contain the tears. Harry had opened a scholarship fund for Muggle- born students who could not afford to go to Hogwarts. Mrs Weasley had read the parchment over George's shoulder, and tears were flowing form her eyes as the air and both of them thanked Harry before George opened the second envelope. Suddenly, all his sadness turned to delight as he punched the air and said "You own Zonkos? And you transferred the lease in my name? This brilliant!"

Harry just smiled at his enthusiasm, and accepted the handshake offered by George before continuing his gift giving.

"Neville and Luna, the two for you continued the resistance at Hogwarts, which I have considered my home for so many years. You helped protect it, and the DA's help at the Battle helped us win. Neville, I know you want to become a herbologist, so I got you your own personal greenhouse in Hogsemade, so you'll be able to keep an eye on it even during school." Neville's eyes widened in glee at the prospect of having his own greenhouse and he gave Harry a huge hug and many thanks before accepting the envelope Harry handed him.

"Luna, I've heard so much about your bravery from Ginny, and I want to thank you for the help in figuring out the whole diadem mystery. I think you will be pleased to know that I have arranged for you and your father to join an expedition to Brazil organised by Newt Scamander and his grandson Rolf Scamander"

When Luna heard the news, she was momentarily stunned, but recovered her composure soon enough and stood up to give Harry a hug and said "I think I have more to thank you for than you have to thank me for. The DA was brilliant, like having friends, but now I can say that I really do have friends. Thanks for being my friend, Harry." Harry just smiled as he handed her the envelope.

"Ron and Hermione, you two have been my best friends since my first year at Hogwarts. You've been with me through thick and thin, helping me at every step. Words cannot describe how much I owe you two. Hermione your gift is in Ginny's room, and Ron, here's yours." Harry handed Ron a huge wizard's chess set, telling him that it was extremely ancient.

Suddenly, they heard a very un- Hermione like squeal come from Ginny's room. Harry, Ron and Ginny rushed inside, to find her staring at a bookcase filled with books ranging from Ancient Runes to Arithmancy. She had already started to read off some of the titles of on the bookshelf before turning around. Harry and Ron were both smiling at her enthusiasm, and when they saw that she had tears in her eyes, Harry quipped "Ron, I think Hermione's never coming out of this room"

"Oh, shut up Harry. There are some really rare titles on this, it must have cost a fortune. I can't accept this!" she said in between tears.

"No, Hermione this is isn't even close to what you and Ron have given me over the years. Don't tell me you don't want the books" he joked.

"Of course I do Harry. And thanks, again" she said, reaching out to pull Harry into a huge hug, and then kissing his cheek. The four of them then went outside for the final gift, Ginny's.

"Now, last but not least, is my gift for you, Ginny. You were what kept me going this past year. You were the reason I came back from the dead, because I love you. Your gift, is this" said Harry, pulling out a velvet box from underneath his robes. Everyone gasped, thinking that harry was about to propose to Ginny, and Mr Weasley even looked a little angry. But before anyone could say anything, Harry alleviated their fears by saying, "This is not an engagement ring, but a promise ring. My father gave this to my mum in their seventh year, and I want you to have it. I promise to always love you, Ginny Weasley.

Ginny was left speechless by this, and happy tears started flowing down her cheek. As Harry took her right hand in his and put the ring on her finger, she started to cry openly and hugged Harry tightly, trying to pour all her emotions into him. Harry seemed to understand, and hugged her back as tightly, stroking her hair softly while inhaling her calming flowery scent. After a few more seconds, Ginny pulled away and placed a tender kiss on Harry's lips before saying "I love you too Harry, now I hope you're done with giving back, because I don't think we can take any more"

"Yes I am" he replied

."Well then, let's go into the kitchen so we can eat" said Mrs Weasley, walking towards the kitchen.

As everyone took their seats, Mr Weasley raised his glass and said "I would like to propose a toast to Harry, who has made this day absolutely wonderful. He has saved all our lives at least once, and still, he is the one wanting to give back. To Harry, the most humble and brave person I have ever met. All I can say is that it was a lucky day for us when Ron chose to sit in your compartment that day seven years ago. To Harry!"

"To Harry!" replied everyone in unison, making Harry's face go red with embarrassment as everyone toasted to him. As he ate his dinner, and saw the happy faces that surrounded him, he just hoped that the happiness would last forever. But he knew that as long as there were Death Eaters out there, he would always be looking over his back. But he knew would fight till his last breath to preserve this happiness.

A/N: Extra long tenth chapter! YAY! So I know the story is moving along kind of slowly, but I promise that the pace will pick up soon enough. We still have Harry's and Ginny's birthdays to go, so it'll be a few chapters before the girls are back at school and the boys at Auror training. Once that starts, I hope to have a little more action. As usual, please do review, because I know I can improve. I hope you liked this chapter. I've had the idea for a mini party for a while, and I hope it turned out ok.

Thanks!


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